


Cracks in My Soul

by Dragon_Dreamer



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Continuation of Ep 209 ignores last scene, F/F, Mentions of Murder, Mentions of Stalking, More angst than expected, Murder of fictional character, lots of conversations that need to happen, mentions Doc Holliday, mentions Rosita Bustillos
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-08
Updated: 2018-01-15
Packaged: 2018-12-12 23:24:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 24,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11747337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dragon_Dreamer/pseuds/Dragon_Dreamer
Summary: Nicole is leaving Purgatory.  She's not sure for how long.  Waverly wants to talk, but...This is a continuation of episode 209.  Canon-compliant, but It ignores the last scene and upcoming events.





	1. Cracks

**Author's Note:**

> This is me processing the last couple of episodes. It feels like we are getting a lot of sound and fury signifying nothing. And Waverly and Nicole need to have actual conversations and not just life threatening situations where they declare their love. I really like the show, but the OOC behaviors are driving me crazy. And the show needs to start appreciating Nicole and stop with undercutting of her character by just about everyone except Nedley. Sorry, that's turned into a pet peeve.
> 
> There is more angst than I was envisioning. But hope springs eternal.

Waverly knocks on Nicole’s door. She waits a few moments and then knocks again. “Nicole?” She calls out. She is a little excited. Or is it relief she is feeling? They are finally going to work this out. Waverly is ready. So, so ready. She knows Nicole is too, and had been since this started. But Nicole isn’t answering her door.

 

Waverly had texted Nicole that she is ready to talk. She is so ready that she heads straight to Nicole’s so they could finally put this incident behind them and move on. Waverly is so ready to move beyond this fight. A soft smile settles on her face just thinking about what moving beyond this means. But then worry worms its way into her chest. Why isn’t Nicole answering?

 

She grabs her phone and calls Nicole. After a pause, she hears Nicole’s phone ringing from inside the house. But Nicole doesn’t answer. The worry grabs her gut and grows into a cold, hard feeling of dread. She pulls the key out that Nicole had given her. Waverly ended up waiting in her jeep for a half an hour one night when Nicole had to work late. She hadn’t wanted Waverly to be uncomfortable again, so she gave her a key to her place.

 

Waverly quickly unlocks the door and calls “Nicole? I’m coming in.” No response. Waverly hesitantly walks into the main room, which is an all purpose room. The living room, dining room and kitchen are all in one. She sees breakfast dishes on the table. But there is no sign of Nicole. “Nicole?” Waverly calls again. The dread is starting to overwhelm her now. She walks quickly into the bedroom, then into the bathroom. There is no sign of Nicole.

 

\---

 

Waverly practically runs into the Sherriff’s office. She looks around frantically. No Nicole. Now her heart is pounding so hard, she can barely hear anything else. She sees movement in Nedley’s office and runs to the door.

 

“Sherriff, where is… Have you seen Nicole?” Waverly asks anxiously.

 

Nedley looks up from the paperwork on his desk with a decidedly disagreeable look on his face.

 

“Officer Haught has requested some time off to deal with a personal emergency.” Nedley replies.

 

“Oh,” Waverly deflates slightly. “ I went by her house to talk to her and her phone was there, but she wasn’t. And there were dishes left on the table, and she never leaves dishes out…” Waverly’s meandering slowly stops. “I was hoping I could talk to her this morning.”

 

Nedley stands up and walks over to Waverly standing in his doorway.

 

“Ms. Earp, the next time you want to ‘talk’ to my deputy, you may want to actually have a conversation with her instead of making hurtful remarks to and about her. Trust me, she hears everything you say. Now if you will excuse me, I have some paperwork to finish. And I am now short one deputy. Thanks for stopping by.” He shuts his door in her face.

 

She stands there for a second, dazed. Then she slowly turns and walks over to the Black Badge office. She sits down heavily at one of tables. She pulls her phone out and stares at the second to last text she had sent Nicole. After a few minutes, she realizes her cheeks are wet.

 

A few minutes later, Jeremy comes bustling into the office. Oblivious to the fact that Waverly is quietly crying. “I didn’t realize Officer Haught was from Georgia. Did you know that? “ He throws the question carelessly at her.

 

“What?” She answers, wiping her cheeks hurriedly. “What are you talking about?”

 

“Officer Haught. From Georgia. Did you know that? Funny. The town she’s from is close to the largest Bigfoot museum in the United States. Pretty fitting really. But who believes in Bigfoot?” He huffs.

 

“Jeremy, we fight demons. I don’t think believing in Bigfoot is that far off.” Waverly rolls her eyes at him.

 

“Oh, right.” He mutters.

 

And then Waverly realizes she had no idea where her girlfriend was from originally. “How do you know this?”

 

“Oh, well, apparently, she is going back there for a few days. “ Jeremy answers as he flips through some papers.

 

“Back to Georgia? Why would she be going back to Georgia?”

 

“I thought you two were dating? Do you not talk to each other? What do you do all the time? You know what?” He grimaces, “I don’t really want to think about it…”

 

“We are working out some issues right now. And I haven’t talked to Nicole in few days.”

 

“Oh right. That must be why you’ve been making all of those snarky comments about her…”

 

“Jeremy,” Waverly says more sharply than she intends. “Why is Nicole going back to Georgia?” And she stomps her foot with impatience. “Tell me right now!”

 

“Well, what I gather from the office gossip is that her sister died. She’s going back for the funeral.” Jeremy tells her, looking meek. “I’m going to get more coffee.” And he runs out of the room with his full cup of coffee sloshing all over his hand.

 

Waverly closes her eyes. “I am such an idiot,” she whispers to herself.

 

\---

 

Wynonna pushes the door open with her foot. Her arms are full of guns. She stumbles over to the couch and tosses the guns on top of Waverly, who is lying with a blanket pulled up over her.

 

“Hey sis, come on. Pick your weapon. We’ve got a lead on where the slippery, sinister sisters are. Let’s go kick some butt! And where have you been all day? I’ve been looking everywhere for you. Get your hiney in gear! These terrible twins aren’t going to wait forever. Let’s go get ‘em while they’re hot!”

 

“Wynonna, maybe you should go without me. I don’t think I’ll be much help right now.” Waverly pulls the blanket up and curls in on herself. Guns clatter to the floor.

 

Wynonna stops for a second and truly looks at her little sister. She looks pale. And her eyes are swollen and red, like she’s been crying. Softly she says, “What’s wrong, baby girl? “ She sits on the edge of the couch, rubbing Waverly’s leg. “Did Officer Haught-Stuff do something to upset you? Again?” Waverly starts to stiffen on the last word.

 

“No, she’s…” Waverly sniffs. “Can you please stop with all the names? It’s pretty demeaning to Nicole.”

 

“What? Why are you saying that? Is she trying to turn you against me? I knew that bossy, brisk, bi…”

 

“WYNONNA, STOP!” Waverly yells at her sister, trying to get her to listen. “Nicole’s sister died. Nicole left Purgatory to go back to Georgia. I haven’t had a chance to talk to her. I’m…I’m afraid I’ve really screwed up. She’s gone and I don’t… I don’t know what to do.” Waverly says with a big sigh.

 

“Wha?...Her sister died? I didn’t even know she had a sister.” Wynonna says in a small voice.

 

“Me either. What kind of a girlfriend am I? I didn’t know she had a sister? I don’t know if she has any other siblings. I didn’t know where she was from. Georgia. She’s from Georgia for God’s sake. No wonder she has such a weird accent sometimes. Why didn’t I know these things?“ Waverly says in an animated way. “You know why I don’t know these things?” Wynonna only stares at Waverly with a slightly bemused look on her face. “Because when we are together all we do is make out or talk about me. My problems, my life, my past. Never hers. She is always checking on how I am doing. Making sure I am okay. And you know what?” Waverly looks intently at Wynonna, who looks unsure of what she is supposed to say.

 

“Uh, what…?”

 

“It was so nice to have someone who was so focused on me, on what I want, on what I need, on making sure I am okay…That I never thought about making sure she was okay. That we…that we would be okay. I just took it for granted.” She takes a deep, shuddering breath.

 

“And now I have no idea where we stand. Or even how Nicole is doing. She didn’t even tell me what happened. I sent her a really mean text telling her to back off. I called her a control freak and told her to have fun hurting the people she loves. And now her sister is dead.  God, I’m such an awful person.“ Waverly drops her head into her hands.

 

“Waves, uh, I know I give shit advice, but this isn’t your fault. You were hurt.   And, I know I give Nicole a hard time. I have to, it’s my job as your older sister. But of everyone I know, she’s the one who would get that. My god, Waverly, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone more in love than that woman is with you. She’ll be back. You can talk to her then. I know she’ll listen. She would do anything for you.”

 

Waverly’s eyes glistened. She grabbed Wynonna’s hand. “Thanks Wynonna. I needed that.”

 

“Okay, good. Glad we got that straightened out. Now pick your poisonous gun and let’s go kick some widow ass!”

 

\---

 

It was a long, harrowing week. Wynonna put the widows down. Doc and Dolls were only slightly singed. Jeremy was sidelined with a case of giggle-itis and everyone banished him to the BBD offices. Waverly and Wynonna came through with only a few bruises. And even Nedley managed to come through with only a few slight scratches.

 

Waverly still hasn’t heard from Nicole. And now Waverly is anxiously awaiting Nicole to return from her trip home so they can talk. She really, really wants to talk to Nicole. She is very anxious to talk to Nicole. And everyone can tell.

 

“Can you please just sit still?” Dolls barks at Waverly as she walks to the door of the BBD office again to look out into the Sherriff’s station. For the 10th time in five minutes.

 

“I heard someone in the break room say they thought she was coming back today. I just want to make sure I don’t miss her.” Waverly says, apologetically.

 

Jeremy teases her “You know a watched pot never boils.” Everyone rolls their eyes at him. He waits a second and then he can’t help himself. “Except that is actually not true. It will boil. And at the same time as if you didn’t watch it. “ He cocks his head to the side, “I never figured out where that saying came from. It is so obviously wrong. And who just boils water? It would have something in it, right? Why is everyone boiling water?”

 

“Jeremy, you are NOT helping!” Waverly barks at him. Wynonna shoots her a sympathetic look.

 

Movement outside of the door catches Waverly’s eye. She turns and goes still.

 

Wynonna walks to her and squeezes her shoulder.

 

“You’ll be fine. Just remember how much you love her. And how much she loves you. Go talk to your lady.” Wynonna not so gently shoves her out the door.

 

\---

 

Nicole is at the printer trying to print something out. It’s jammed, of course. She starts checking the paper tray, opening the front of the printer to see if there is a paper jam. So the hand on her arms startles her. She jumps and gasps, turning to see who the hand belongs to. Although she knows who the hand belongs to. She would know that hand anywhere.

 

“I’m sorry I startled you. I called your name a couple times.” Waverly smiles shyly.

 

Oh

 

Nicole had forgotten what Waverly does to her. But it hits her squarely in her chest. Just looking at Waverly makes her brain stop working correctly sometimes. Well, sometimes means every time.

 

“Uh…Hey Waverly. Sorry. I’m a bit distracted. I didn’t hear you. I’ll be gone in a minute.”

 

The hopeful look on Waverly’s face falters. “No. That’s not what I…” She sighs and takes a breath. “Actually, I wanted to say I was sorry to hear about your sister.”

 

Oh

 

Nicole tenses. Waverly can feel it through her hand. Which is still on Nicole’s arm. She suddenly realizes her hand is still on Nicole’s arm. She jerks it back quickly, averting Nicole’s gaze.

 

“Okay. Uh, Well, thank you.” Real smooth, Haught. Nicole thinks to herself with an internal eye roll.

 

Nicole looks at Waverly for a few heartbeats more. Waverly avoids her eyes. Nicole sighs and turns to the printer. She punches buttons on the keypad, but nothing happens.

 

“Here, let me.” Waverly quickly opens the front of the printer. She pops a lever and pulls a crumpled piece of paper out of the depths of its innards. She flips the lever back down and shuts the front of the printer.

 

“It keeps jamming the same way. Nedley should get that fixed…”

 

The printer starts making mechanical noises and a sheet of paper slides out.

 

Nicole grabs the paper. “Thanks.” She turns and heads out of the copy room. And only then does Waverly realize she isn’t in her uniform. She has on jeans, a t-shirt and a battered leather jacket that seems a couple of sizes too big for her.

 

Before Nicole can get 5 steps, the desperation in Waverly’s chest practically chokes her. “You were right.” She almost yells at Nicole’s back. “Like always.” She adds under her breath.

 

Nicole stops. Her head drops slightly. She turns back to Waverly. And only then does Waverly see the exhaustion in Nicole’s eyes. Her skin is pale, she has dark circles under her eyes, and Waverly swears she looks thinner than the last time she saw her.

 

“Waverly, I don’t care about being right. Whatever it is I‘m right about. I only ever care that you are safe. And okay. I don’t give a shit about who is right.” Nicole starts to turn again, a look of resignation on her face.

 

“Nicole, wait.” And Nicole does stop, a hand on the doorframe, leaning into it like she can’t stand without support. But she doesn’t turn around. So Waverly keeps going. She hates doing this, here, at the station, in the printer room no less. But she can’t wait. She has to start now, or she feels like she may never see Nicole again. And that thought is unbearable. So she stumbles over her words, but she persists.

 

“I’m sorry. I…” She pauses. She closes her eyes for a second. Gathering her thoughts. When she opens them again. Nicole is looking at her. Waverly can’t read her face, but at least she is looking at her.

 

“Tucker is dead.” She pauses. Not quite sure how to proceed.

 

“I know that. We saw his body.”

 

“Right, yeah we did.” Waverly mutters, shaking her head. “But that wasn’t him. He killed someone and made it look like it was him.”

 

“What?” Nicole says softly, taking a few steps towards Waverly. “Are you okay? What happened? Did he hurt you?” The flicker of anger over Nicole’s face sends heat through Waverly’s chest. Nicole still has to care if she gets mad about Tucker, right?

 

“Well, it was the day his body was found. And I was still mad at you, but I couldn’t go home because Wynonna was having a thing with Doc.”

 

“A thing with Doc?” Nicole echoes.

 

“Dinner. Uh, dinner with Doc. It was awful. Burned mac and cheese and twizzlers.” Waverly grins at her memory of Wynonna’s story.

 

“And Wynonna considered that dinner?” Nicole questions.

 

Waverly smiles. The familiarity of their banter helps her overcome her nerves about telling Nicole what happened that night.

 

“Yeah, you know Wynonna. Not exactly the stay at home, cooking dinner every night, mom type.”

 

“No. I would never accuse her of that.” Nicole takes another couple of steps back towards Waverly. Stopping when she is an arms distance out of reach.

 

“Well, I couldn’t go to the homestead. And I had nowhere else to go. So I was drinking alone at Shorty’s. And then Rosita and I started chatting…” A look flickers across Nicole’s face that makes Waverly pause. It is gone as fast as it came and Waverly wonders if she is imaging things, so she continues. “And Dolls had given Rosita a gift card to a spa in the mountains. So we ended up going there that night. To get away from all the crazy in Purgatory.”

 

“You went to a spa. In the mountains. With Rosita.” It wasn’t really a question. Nicole was just repeating what Waverly had just told her. And hearing it like that made Waverly realize what a bad idea it had been. Why hadn’t she seen it at the time?

 

“Um, yes? I was still really upset about the DNA results. And you. I was still mad at you. And just everything really.” Waverly pauses. And then her nerves overtake her and she starts rambling. “And we were talking about backbone, and I wanted to prove I had some, so I sent you that horrible text Nicole. I’m so sorry about that. I didn’t really mean it. I regretted it the second I sent it. And then Rosita started talking about how imperfections make the champagne bubbles…” Waverly loses her nerve and stops talking suddenly.

 

And Nicole just looks at her for a moment before gently saying “because the imperfections in the glass cause the carbon dioxide to collect in the nucleation points and make the bubbles.” Nicole pauses before tilting her head slightly. Then she continues quietly, “People call it science, but just because I know how it works doesn’t mean I can’t think of it as magic. A little bit of magic that makes this shitty world a bit more bearable.”

 

“Oh my god.” Waverly says under her breath. And cold panic fills her stomach as she realizes what she did that night. What she was willing to sacrifice for a fleeting moment. She shuts her eyes. After a moment she shakes her head slightly in disbelief.

 

“You kissed her.” Nicole says flatly. Waverly’s eyes fly open. The defeated look on Nicole’s face breaks Waverly’s heart. Of course Nicole would realize what had happened. She always was able to figure out what was going on before anyone else did. Even when everyone kept things from her, lied to her, purposefully excluded her, she always knew what was going on before anyone else had a clue.

 

Nicole took a step back. A step away from Waverly.

 

“Yes, but I regretted it instantly Nicole.” Waverly started rambling again, reaching out to grab at Nicole. Wanting the support, the safety, the strength of Nicole. But Nicole just took another step back, away from Waverly.

 

Waverly’s desperation to make Nicole understand spills from her mouth in a stream of half completed thoughts. “And then Tucker showed up and hurt Rosita. And you were so right, Nicole. Tucker wanted to kidnap me and he tried. He was taking me away somewhere. I was so afraid. But then Rosita hit him in the head with a vase and we got out of there as fast as we could. They found his maimed body a few days later. It looked like wolves had eaten him.”

 

Nicole went very still during Waverly’s word vomit. Waverly nervously wrung her hands in the silence that followed.

 

“He was alive. And he stalked you and tried to kidnap you.” Nicole’s voice was still flat.

 

“Yes. You were right. He was bat-shit crazy. And I didn’t listen to you. I’m so sorry.”

 

Nicole turns whiter than Waverly thought was humanly possible. Then she crumples to the ground, grabbing the trashcan and throwing up into it.

 

Waverly stands there, stunned, for a moment. Then she kneels down next to Nicole. She starts rubbing her back and murmuring “It’s okay, baby. It’s okay. Everything is okay,” Over and over as Nicole heaves into the trashcan. After several minutes, Nicole wipes her mouth with her hand. She looks at Waverly. “Thanks for telling me.”

 

She slowly gets to her feet. Waverly tries to help her, but Nicole ignores her ministrations. “I’m going to go home. I think I need to lie down.” She slowly walks towards the door of the copy room. Waverly has never seen Nicole look so broken.

 

“Are you okay? Can I help?” Waverly asks.

 

Nicole stops walking for a moment. Without turning she says “No. No, I’m not okay. And no, you can’t help me. No one can.” Then she walks out of the copy room and leaves the station.

 

\---

 

Waverly walks back into the BBD offices. Jeremy is in the corner working on some sciencey invention and was talking to himself. Dolls is in his office with the door open and Wynonna was eating a donut and twirling PeaceMaker.

 

“How’d it go? Are you two meeting up later for some make-up sexiness? You know what…” She grimaces, “Ew, I actually don’t want to know anything about that.”

 

Waverly sits down next to Wynonna. “I have no idea. I told her what happened and she promptly threw up. I…I have no idea what she is thinking right now.”

 

“You told her about Tucker stalking you and trying to kidnap you?” Dolls’ voice startles Waverly.

 

“Yes.”

 

“Oh. Did she tell you how her sister died?” Dolls asks.

 

Waverly’s chest starts aching. “No.”

 

“Oh. You may want to ask her about that.” He pauses. “Actually… Don’t. Forget I said anything.”

 

Wynonna jumps up and grabs Dolls by the shirt. “What the Hell, dude? You can’t just say something like that and expect us to just forget it. What the hell happened to Nicole’s sister?

 

Dolls doesn’t say anything for a minute. He just looks between Wynonna and Waverly.

 

She shakes him again and he holds his hands up. “Okay, Okay. Nicole’s sister rejected a guy a couple of years ago. He was pretty creepy and scared her. He stalked her since then. He would follow her. Call her all the time. They got a restraining order on him, but it didn’t matter. He finally got her alone and ended up stabbing her to death. After he had assaulted her multiple times.”

 

Wynonna let go of Dolls’ shirt. “Shit.” She mutters under her breath.

 

“I think I’m going to be sick.” Waverly says as she runs out of the room.

 

Wynonna looks at Dolls. “You better have a friend who can take care of that sack of shit.” She growls.

 

“Already on it.” He replies.

 

\---

 

 

That night Waverly and Wynonna are eating dinner at the homestead. Wynonna eats slowly. Waverly just pushes the food around her plate.

 

“Have you heard anything?” Wynonna doesn’t have to say anything else. Waverly knows who she is talking about.

 

“No. I must have texted her about a hundred times.” After a pause she adds, “Now I know how she must have felt when I wasn’t answering her.”

 

Waverly’s phone vibrates. She grabs it and reads the text. She looks at Wynonna like a deer caught in headlights. “She wants to get coffee tomorrow.”

 

“That’s a good thing right?”

 

“Honestly… I have no idea.”

 

\---

 

Waverly is so nervous that she can’t sleep that night. And she gets to the diner 30 minutes early, because, well she can’t even think straight. She just wants to talk to Nicole.

 

Nicole walks in about 5 minutes later than they were supposed to meet. Which makes Waverly’s stomach feel like it is jumping outside of her body. Nicole is never late. So, it isn’t a bad sign that she was late now, right? Everything is fine. Just breathe Waverly, she keeps repeating to herself.

 

Nicole looks around and sees Waverly. She walks over. “Do you want anything? I’ll get you something if you want.”

 

“No, I’ve already got some coffee. I got you some too, if you want it. It may not be hot anymore though. I got it about 15 minutes ago.” Waverly can’t seem to stop the words from jumping out of her mouth. She is so nervous.

 

“Uh, thanks.”

 

Nicole sits on the opposite side of the booth.

 

“Waverly, I just want to apologize and explain…”

 

“What? What are you talking about? You don’t need to explain anything.”

 

“Waverly. I need to explain why I had the DNA results in my purse. Please let me.”

 

Waverly looks down at her hands. She had completely forgotten about all that. It felt like it was so long ago. “Okay,” she breathes out.

 

“My mom is adopted.”

 

And Waverly shuts her eyes. She feels like another brick wall just landed on her chest. How did she not know this?

 

“She knew she was adopted. And loved by her parents. But she grew up never really feeling like she fit in anywhere. She loved her parents, and her sister. But she said she just never felt like she belonged. And she always questioned why. Why did her birth parents, the people who are supposed to love you more than anything or anyone in this world, abandon her. She never felt like she was good enough. She always felt like no one would truly love her. That somehow she wasn’t enough. That there was something fundamentally wrong with her. That she was essentially unloveable. Even though her adoptive parents loved her more than anything else in the world. When she told me all of this, I had a hard time reconciling the strong, funny, kind, confident woman who was my mother with all of that doubt and questioning. She hid it well. I don’t think anyone knew how deep that went.”

 

Nicole took a breath and looked from her hands into Waverly’s eyes. She got lost in those eyes. She could look in those hazel eyes forever. She shook herself and continued, “so, I understood when you told me you didn’t feel like you fit in. That people didn’t see you. I knew you struggled with feeling like you didn’t belong. I get it. And I know how lonely that can make you feel.”

 

Waverly just breathed in. Her eyes welled up. But she had promised herself that she wasn’t going to cry. She didn’t want to put that pressure on Nicole. She just wanted Nicole to keep talking. So she reaches out and grabs Nicole’s hand. Stoking her thumb over the back of it softly. Nicole goes still. She is staring at their intertwined hand.

 

“I’m sorry.” Nicole says as she gently extricates her hand from Waverly’s. “I can’t think straight when you touch me. And I need to think straight to finish telling you about this.”

 

At that, a tear slides down Waverly’s face. She quickly wipes it away. Nicole is playing with her rings, not looking at Waverly.

 

“And then a couple of years ago, my mom’s birth mother contacts her. Out of the blue. Almost 50 years later. It was quite a shock. They met each other and weirdly, became friends. My mom has other siblings now too. It’s really pretty surreal. But I remember when she was going through it all at first. We would talk about it quite a bit. Still do actually, because it is still surreal. She was very cognizant of how it would affect us, her family. My dad, my sister, my brother and me. And she worried about how we were doing. I remember her describing it as having two worlds being laid on top of each other. What was and what might have been. It was a very weird and unreal time for all of us. And it could be very upsetting too. But especially for her.”

 

Nicole pauses and looks into Waverly’s eyes.

 

“So when I saw the DNA results at the station, I just panicked. There was so much going on. And I knew how hard the results would throw your world into chaos. I was going to give them to you, I promise. I was just hoping I could find a time that was less stressful than in the middle of Shorty’s, in the middle of an impromptu shower for Wynonna. I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to control you, or treat you like a child. I would never do that Waverly. You deserve so much more than that.”

 

And Waverly’s chest cracked again. Nicole was trying to make her feel better. Her sister had just been horribly murdered. Waverly had kissed someone else. And Nicole was still earnestly, insistently trying to make Waverly feel better. She didn’t think she could stand it.

 

“Can I hold your hand now?” Waverly asked. Nicole just nodded. Waverly grabbed and was afraid she was going to physically hurt Nicole because she was holding on for dear life.

 

“I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry Nicole.” Nicole just looked at Waverly, confusion clouding her eyes. “I was hurt and I was mean and spiteful. I said awful things to you. I am so sorry.”

 

“You don’t have to be sorry. I knew you were hurt. I was the one who had hurt you. I knew you were just saying those things because you wanted me to hurt too. I think everyone deals with pain at some point by wanting those they care about to be in pain with them.”

 

“Are you even human?”

 

“What?” A hurt look flashes over Nicole’s face and she starts to pull her hands away. “I’m as human as you are.”

 

“I just mean,” Waverly sighs because she isn’t sure how to verbalize what she is feeling without sounding spiteful in some way. She collects her thoughts and tries again. “You don’t seem to get upset when I do something mean or stupid or thoughtless. Or when I yell at you. I don’t know anyone else who is like that. Who is like you.” She looks down at their hands. Their fingers still intertwined. The sight eases the pain that has settled in her chest, just a little.

 

“Oh Waves,” And the use of her nickname causes even more tears to slip from her eyes. “It’s not your fault that all of the important relationships in your past have been abusive. I know that is a big reason you react to certain things the way you do. Your mother abandoned you, your father was abusive and then was killed by your sister. Your oldest sister tormented you, all the time, even when you were just a baby. Your aunt and uncle lied about fundamental aspects of your life. And then made you feel like you had to hide parts of yourself to fit into the “normal” life here in the heaven on earth that is known as Purgatory. To be honest, I don’t know how you do it. You are so giving and kind to everyone in your life, Waverly. It was one of the first things I ever knew about you. I’m amazed by you every day. You are so much stronger than you ever give yourself credit for.”

 

They just stare at each other for a few more moments. Moments that Waverly feels border on what heaven must feel like.  Then Nicole seems to remember where she is. She clears her throat and looks down at their hands.

 

Waverly feels like the sun is just starting to come out after a month of horrible rains.

 

“Nicole, where are we? Are we okay?”

 

Nicole closes her eyes and tiredness seems to wash over her.

 

“I’m not really sure, Waverly. I need to think about a lot of stuff in my life right now. And it seems like you have a lot of questions about what you really want. You have a lot on your plate right now.”

 

Waverly feels clouds covering up her sun.

 

“I love you, Waverly. I want the best for you. Remember that.”

 

“But I know what I want, Nicole. I want you. I love you too.” Waverly says. Not caring that it sounds so desperate, even to her own ears.

 

“I…uh, I need to get going. I’ve got a lot of packing I need to finish up.”

 

“Packing?” Waverly feels like the sun just went out.

 

“I’ve got to get some stuff packed up so I can head out tomorrow.”

 

“Head out tomorrow?” Waverly has lost the power of speech and all she can do is repeat things that Nicole says. She looks down at their hands.

 

“I thought Nedley told you. Oh, Waverly.” And the use of her name sends cold through her, all the way to her toes. She is still looking at their intertwined fingers. Nicole extricates a hand and gently tilts her head up so she can look her in the eyes.

 

“Waverly, I’m taking a leave of absence and am going to stay with my parents for a while. They are having a really hard time right now. They need me. I have to be there for them.”

 

“But we need you here.” Waverly says in a small voice.

 

“No, not really. Everyone here does perfectly fine without me. They have never needed me. And they have never wanted me. “ Waverly shuts her eyes and turns her head away at that. She never realized that was how Nicole had taken her efforts at protecting her from Black Badge. But when she looks back, how else was Nicole supposed to take it? Waverly realizes that Nicole had always been excluded. It had been to protect her, but it had never been Nicole’s choice. She had always wanted to be a part of Black Badge. And of all of them, Nicole was the one person who actually deserved to be a member. At that realization, Waverly’s chest cracks open one more time.

 

“But _I_ need you.” Waverly whispers.

 

“Waves, You have so many people here who truly love you. Wynonna would give her life for you. Doc and Dolls would do anything to make sure you are happy. So many other people here care about you, Waverly. And one thing I learned from what my mom went through is that blood does not make family. Love does. And you have a lot of people who love you.”

 

Nicole pauses. Then sighs, lowering her head. “I’m so tired, Waves. I can’t sleep. I’m not eating anything. I need to be around people who need me. People who want me. Don’t just tolerate me. My family needs me right now. I need them too. Losing my sister…I don’t know how you are so strong going through what you did…”

 

“Nicole…” Waverly hopes the desperation she feels in her chest is being communicated in that one word. Because it is all she can manage right now. She doesn’t know what she will do if Nicole isn’t here. If she can’t touch her, talk to her. She needs Nicole to ground her. She isn’t strong enough to handle all of this on her own.

 

“It’s not forever.” Nicole says, squeezing her hands. “I’ll be back.”

 

Waverly looks her in the eye. “Promise?” She whispers.

 

Nicole squeezes again. “Cross my heart and hope to die.”

 

\---

 

Later that night Waverly is laying in bed thinking about all of the things she and Nicole had talked about. She doesn’t know how to feel about a lot of it. She does feel like she understands about growing up a lot more now. It’s pretty painful. And she decides that overall it sucks. But she feels like she is on her way to truly being an adult. She is still very sad that Nicole is going to be gone for a while. But it is only for a while. Nicole will be back. She promised. And Waverly knows that Nicole always keeps her promises.

 

And right then her phone lights up. When she looks at the text message, her chest cracks open again. This time she can feel the joy bubbling up and she actually laughs out loud.

 

“Call me tomorrow to help me stay awake on my crazy drive home?”

 

She is smiling from ear to ear as she types her response.

 

“I would love that! I can’t wait to hear your voice… <3”

 

“Me too. <3”


	2. Absence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How Purgatory reacts when Officer Haught leaves to visit her family after her sister is killed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, thanks for all the comments and kudos. I felt like there was more to tell in this story and so with all of your encouragement, I decided to try my hand at finishing this story. This chapter is about how much Nicole means to Purgatory. It was really nice to see the show acknowledge how much every one actually cares for Nicole. Even if it felt a little late in the coming.
> 
> I think I see three or four more chapters with Nicole and Waverly trying to navigate all the feelings from the events of 208, 209, and my own Nicole backstory. Still diverges from the show at the last scene of 209. I hope you like it.

Nicole is gone.

 

She had left for Georgia three days ago. And even though they had talked about so many things that they had needed to talk about, they have not really clarified where they stand as a couple. So Waverly is still a bit on edge, still feeling a bit unsettled.

 

She misses Nicole terribly. She has talked to her on the phone every day. But, if anything, that has intensified the craving Waverly has for Nicole. And now she is seeing Nicole everywhere. Literally.

 

She thinks she is going crazy.

 

She swings by the Purgatory Percolator to pick up a coffee on the way into BBD, because a certain girl can’t function without her caffeine fix in the morning. And she wants to get Wynonna her tea that she hates. And there is Nicole staring her in the face.

 

Well, it isn’t Nicole. It is a picture of Nicole. On a jar. With coins and bills in it. When she reaches the counter, Sue smiles at her. “The usual, Waves?”

 

“Uh, only one coffee today. So one coffee and one herbal tea, please.”

As Sue turns to fix her order, Waverly looks at the jar carefully. “Emergency fund for Officer Haught’s sister’s funeral expenses.” It is just over half full. Sue returns with the coffee and tea and hands the steaming cups to Waverly. Waverly hands her money over. Nodding at the jar, Waverly says “that’s really nice of you.”

 

Sue rings up the order and hands Waverly her change. “Yeah. We really wanted to do something nice for Officer Haught. She is always so thoughtful when she comes in. She always buys drinks for the next couple of people when she pays. Some sort of ‘Ripples of Kindness’ belief she has. I hope she is doing okay. Have you heard when she might be coming back?”

 

Waverly ducks her head. “No. No, I haven’t heard.”

 

Before she walks away she puts all of her change in the jar.

 

\---

 

Then when she gets to the police station, Mrs. Johnson is handing a very bright, lime green sweater over to Linda, the desk clerk. “Make sure she gets this. I made it especially for her. I think this color is very complimentary to her skin tone. “

 

“I will Mrs. Johnson. I’m sure Officer Haught will appreciate it.” She smiles as the older lady walks out of the office.

 

Waverly walks over to Linda and asks, “She made that for Nicole?”

 

“Yup. It’s hideous, don’t you think?” Linda says as she shakes her head. “Once the news broke about what happened to Nicole’s sister, a lot of people have started bringing things in to send to her. I have about two boxes of stuff right now. I’m sure I’ll have several more by the end of the week. Everyone just loves her.

 

"One little boy even brought his puppy in to try and make her feel better. She had done safety presentations at his school. He said she made him feel happy and safe. He didn’t want her to be sad anymore and his puppy made him feel better, so he wanted Officer Haught to share his puppy. He was a little upset when I told him she had gone far way to stay with her family for a while. I ended up taking a picture of him and his puppy to send to her. That seemed to satisfy him.”

 

“I’ll bet Nicole loved that. She is such a sap for animals.” Waverly smiles as she thinks about Nicole showing her cat memes for an hour one night a couple of weeks ago.

 

Linda clears her throat. “How are you and…” but before she can get any further, Waverly mumbles an apology and runs after Dolls who is marching into the BBD offices.

 

“Hey Dolls, can I ask you something?” Waverly calls out as Dolls quickly moves to the safe in his office.

 

“Sure, but make it quick. I just stopped by to pick up a special device I need. We’ve got an unusual occurrence involving fermented fruit and couches. Can you maybe do a little research on that?”

 

“Sure. That sounds really…odd?”

 

Dolls sighs and shakes his head. “You have no idea.” He quickly opens the safe and then pauses. “What did you want to ask me?”

 

“How did you know about Nicole’s sister?”

 

“Oh, well I guess I can tell you even though I don’t even know if Officer Haught will be back.”

 

At Waverly’s striken look, he rushes to assure her. “I’m sure she will. I mean, I guess she will? I think she really likes it here? I know she likes you, so…”

 

“Dolls, your comforting leaves a lot to be desired. But thanks for trying.” She awkwardly pats his shoulder. “Now. Can you answer my question, please?”

 

“Sure. Sherriff Nedley and I have been talking about Officer Haught a lot recently because she was going to start liasoning between the BBD and the Sherriff’s department. So Nedley filled me in on what happened and the fact that Nicole was going to take a leave of absence.”

 

“Oh, Did Nicole know you guys were talking about that?”

 

“I hadn’t told her. I don’t know if Nedley mentioned it. I got the feeling they had discussed some sort of arrangement before because Nedley didn’t seem surprised when I brought up bringing Nicole more on board with our investigations. Is that what you wanted to know? Because I’ve got some fruit to de-ferment.”

 

Dolls grabs a shiny, silver oval and shuts his safe.

 

Waverly just nods as Dolls practically runs full tilt out of the office.

 

\---

 

Waverly goes the Purgatory library to do some extra research. And there is Nicole again. A big poster is by the reference desk with her picture in the middle of it. There is a sign asking patrons to wish Officer Haught their condolences. The poster is almost full. There are a lot of hand made cards piled next to the poster as well.

 

Waverly walks over to the librarian at the reference desk. “Mrs. Carroll, can I look at any books you have about Dionysus, please?”

 

“Of course, dear. Let me just look up which books we have.” The librarian starts typing away at her computer keyboard.

 

Waverly starts fiddling with one of the cards for Nicole. It has a childish drawing of a police woman holding hands with a little girl. Waverly opens the card and reads “Thank you for making me happy. Please be happy again soon. Love, Mary.”

 

“Isn’t that sweet?” Mrs. Carroll interrupts Waverly’s reading. “Officer Haught would come in and read books to the children during story time when she would have a free lunch break. All of the children just love her. She is a very good storyteller.”

 

Waverly closes the card. “Yes she is. I’m sure the kids miss her.”

 

“Yes they do. I hope she is doing okay. Well, let me go gather those materials for you dear.”

 

 ---

 

The next morning, Waverly is making toast when Wynonna stumbles into one of the kitchen chairs. “Ugh, why do I feel like I have the worst hangover?” She mumbles.

 

Waverly laughs as the toast pops out of the toaster.

 

“Fermented fruit demons will do that to you…”

 

Wynonna rolls her eyes at her sister.

 

Waverly tries to sound casual as she starts to butter the toast. “Have you seen any of the collection sites around town for Nicole’s sister?”

 

Wynonna watches Waverly carefully. Waverly avoids her eyes. “Yes, I have seen the scary tributes. I feel like I’m being haunted by Nicole’s evil twin.”

 

Waverly looks sharply at Wynonna. Then she throws her toast at Wynonna.

 

“Hey!” Wynonna complains as she fumbles with the toast and then starts to eat it. “I mean, it’s nice to see how much Nicole is appreciated around town. I had no idea she was that involved around here. I just meant it is creepy to see her everywhere and not know if she is coming back.”

 

Waverly’s steely glance turns soft and she starts fiddling with the butter knife. “I know. I feel the same way. I wish I knew how she was doing.”

 

“I thought you talked with her every day since she left.”

 

“I have. But we haven’t really talked about what happened to her sister or if she is coming back or not.”

 

“Oh, maybe you should get on that.”  Wynonna wisecracks through Waverly’s toast.

 

“I think I have an idea…” Waverly trails off as she looks out the window.

 

“Should I be worried?” Wynonna asks, but is ignored by Waverly.

 

Waverly pulls her phone out and calls Nicole as she walks out to the porch.

 


	3. Southern hospitality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly travels to Georgia to see Nicole. How will Nicole react?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long. My kids started school and promptly got sick for a couple of weeks. And work got super busy. So this isn't super long, but I'm working on it. Thanks for all the encouragement.  
> I miss the show already. I wish I was going to DragonCon. But I can't swing it this year. But look! Wayhaught is going to be in Georgia! Amazing.

Waverly is so done. She has been in this cramped SUV for almost two solid days. Only stopping long enough to eat and take care of necessities. She is tired, hungry and her muscles are cramping up. She is so miserable that she can’t even enjoy the fact that she is seeing countryside that she has never even dreamed she would see.

 

And she is pretty nervous about how Nicole is going to react. Waverly hasn’t told Nicole that she is coming. So rejection is a pretty big concern right about now. Waverly has no backup plan, so her anxiety is starting to overwhelm her.

 

“Aren’t we there yet, Bruce?” Waverly asks in a slightly whiny voice.

 

“It should be just around this bend.” The muscle bound driver responds.

 

“You said that two mountains ago. I’m starting to not believe you.”

 

“It’s not my fault this GPS can’t tell one mountain from another,” Bruce retorts.  "I can't even tell them apart."

 

They drive over the rolling hill. The green trees have been a solid wall encroaching on the two-lane highway for the past three states. Occasionally there is a short respite in the forest where a farm is nestled into a curve of the rolling hills that are the beginnings of the Appalachian mountain range.  

 

A short way off is a break in the green forest, ten or so acres of pasture. A farmhouse is set at the back of the clearing with several other smaller buildings scattered around the property. There is a barn and a corral in the back right corner. Bruce starts to slow the car as they approach the driveway that leads to the farmhouse.

 

“Is this it?” Waverly asks excitedly. Her palms begin to sweat. Her head begins to buzz. She is having a hard time breathing.

 

“If this GPS is correct, then this is the place. Although it did get us lost in South Dakota. How can you get lost in the middle of nowhere? I’m going to call the GPS company and complain.”

 

Waverly isn’t even listening.  They pull up beside the two story farmhouse with a wrap around porch and get out of the SUV. Bruce starts stretching his aching muscles.

 

Waverly spots a figure on a white horse emerging from a trail in the woods beside the house. The horse and rider begin cantering towards the car. Waverly would recognize Nicole anywhere. And to say the sight of Nicole in a cowboy hat on a white horse takes her breath away is an understatement. The only thought running through her mind is “Wow.”

 

Waverly can only stare as Nicole rides up to the car. She is wearing cowboy boots, dark blue jeans, a dark blue flannel and an old brown cowboy hat. She pulls the horse to a stop at the front of the car. For a moment she just sits and looks at Waverly with an expression that Waverly cannot read. Waverly realizes her mouth is hanging open and quickly snaps it shut.

 

Her nervousness starts to get the better of her. She starts to wring her hands when Nicole dismounts from the horse. And Waverly’s brain has a minor meltdown. Nicole drops the reigns and walks slowly over to where Waverly is standing. She stops when she is about an arms length away. She never breaks eye contact, and Waverly is having a hard time breathing.

 

“You’re here.” Nicole says. The silent “why” hangs heavy in the air between them.

 

Waverly still cannot read any of Nicole’s body language. “Yup.” Is all that she manages to squeak out. She wants to hug Nicole, and her body leans towards Nicole of its own accord. But there is too much distance. And Nicole put it there for a reason.

 

But then Waverly notices that Nicole’s hands are grabbing her belt as if her life depends on keeping her buckle in place. Waverly can see her fighting the urge to reach out. She can almost feel Nicole’s soft hands caress her cheek. And the absence of that touch nearly breaks her.

 

Bruce walks around the back of the SUV. He clears his throat, breaking the awkward moment. “So, I’m guessing we got the right place since it looks like you two know each other.” Nicole glances at him and then back to Waverly.  “I’ve got a delivery for Officer Nicole Haught. All the way from Purgatory. But I’m guessing you know that.”

 

Nicole looks over Waverly’s shoulder to the massive man in his too tight t-shirt.

 

“I’m Nicole Haught, ” she says as she steps around Waverly to shake Bruce’s hand.

 

“Great. Can you tell me where I can put all these boxes?” Nicole gives Waverly a curious look and then follows Bruce to the back of the SUV. He opens the back hatch to reveal the entire back of the car full of boxes.

 

Just then the front door opens and a tall woman with auburn hair in a long braid down her back walks out. She is wearing boots, jeans and a t-shirt. Waverly feels a bit disoriented because looking at this woman is like looking at Nicole in 30 or so years.

 

The woman walks down the three steps from the porch to the white horse who is still standing patiently at the front of the car. She pats its neck. “Nicole, do you know these people?”

 

“Yes Mama. This gentleman is delivering some packages from Purgatory.” Nicole walks back towards Waverly.

 

“And this is…”

 

Nicole’s mother quickly walks to where Waverly is nervously standing.

 

“Waverly,” she says. Then she looks her up and down quickly with a smile on her face. She pulls her into a hug. “I’d recognize you anywhere from Nicole’s descriptions of you.”

 

Waverly stands, slightly stunned for a moment and then hugs Nicole’s mother back. When she is finally released, she has a shy smile on her face.

 

“Waverly, this is my mother. Margaret.”

 

Nicole’s mother grabs her hand. “But you just call me Maggie. Everyone does.”

 

Nicole turns to look at Bruce. “I’m sorry, I don’t know your name.”

 

“Oh, um. I’m Bruce. But if you don’t mind, just tell me where to put these boxes and I’ll be on my way to my hotel.”

 

Waverly watches Nicole laugh quietly as if something is funny.

 

Nicole’s mother takes a step back. She gestures to Bruce and then starts ushering Waverly towards the house. “None of that now. You’ll both be staying here tonight. You two must be famished. And exhausted. Come on in. We were just about to get ready for dinner.”

 

She guides Waverly up the steps then turns to Bruce who is standing dumbstuck at the back of the SUV. “Come on Mr. Bruce. We’ll get you settled in. My husband will handle those boxes. Nicole, you take care of Silver before you come in.”

 

Nicole walks over and grabs the dangling reins. “Yes ma’am.” She turns and looks at Bruce who is just standing there, looking very confused. “You better head on in, or she is going to drag you in herself. Don’t think you can escape from her southern hospitality. Resistance is futile.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it. Let me know what you thought.


	4. talking with Maggie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole's mother has a talk with Waverly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone. I've been a little distracted watching DragonCon from afar. It looks like it was a lot of fun.   
> This chapter is pretty personal for me. I really relate to Waverly's journey of discovering who she is, in case you can't tell. I really hope the show lets her explore some of these issues, because they shape who you are as a person. I hope you like it and it isn't too angsty.

Waverly finds that to her surprise, dinner is pleasant. The food is good and the company is enjoyable. Except for the obvious tension emanating from Waverly and Nicole, who are seated at opposite ends of the kitchen table from each other. In Waverly, the anxiety manifests as almost uncontrollable chatter about the drive from Purgatory to Georgia. In Nicole, it is occupying herself with her food and avoiding looking at Waverly at all costs.

 

Nicole’s parents are both very charming hosts. Listening politely to Waverly and then chiming in with stories about their own travels through many of the same parts of the country Waverly and Bruce had just traversed.

 

And they tell one memorable story about the snowstorm of the century a few years ago that shut down over a third of the entire state of Georgia for almost an entire week. They both commented on how Nicole had compared it to a light dusting in Purgatory. And then they laughed at the wimpiness of southerners.

 

Bruce even chats a bit about how he enjoys driving cross-country delivering equipment, boats and various miscellaneous knick-knacks, usually for the ultra-rich, from one end of the continent to the other. He likes the scenery and the time to listen to college classes on his phone. He is working towards a degree in medieval prose.  He even recites a poem in middle English. Everyone is left a little shell shocked and no one understood more than a word or two.

 

After everyone finishes off a wonderful peach pie, Margaret asks Nicole’s father, Robert, and Nicole to move the boxes Bruce is delivering into the formal dining room. Bruce jumps up to help. As everyone starts to stand and leave the informal kitchen, Waverly stands as well and asks if she can help Maggie clear the table.

 

“Yes, darlin’. I was going to ask you to help me out for a bit. Thanks for offering. Nicole told me what a thoughtful girl you are.”

 

Waverly just ducks her head to hide her embarrassment at the thought of Nicole talking about her to her mother. They both start bringing dishes from the kitchen table to the counter by the sink. In a few minutes the table is cleared and the dishes are all neatly fitted into the dishwasher.

 

“There we go. You certainly are a whiz at helping out Waverly. Thank you.”

 

“Your welcome,” Waverly replies with a slight nervousness. She isn’t quite sure what to do now that her assigned task has been completed.

 

“Let’s sit for a moment. The others will be a little while. There were quite a few packages, from what I could see.” Maggie gestures for Waverly to take a seat at the recently cleared table.

 

“Yes, I think everyone in Purgatory sent something for Nicole. They all appreciate her so much.” She says as she sits down. “Um, I do too. Nicole is just wonderful. I don’t know what we would do without her. Well, I don’t know what I would do without her.” Waverly trails off. Not sure where to look. Her hands are fidgeting with the tablecloth. She feels as if she is being interrogated by Maggie.

 

Maggie sits next to Waverly. As Waverly stops speaking, she reaches over and takes one of Waverly’s hands in hers.

 

“It’s alright darlin’. I’m not going to yell at you, or give you some sort of hard time. I know you care for my daughter. And she loves you more than she really understand. I wanted a chance to talk with you alone because I wanted to let you know that I understand how alone you must feel right now.”

 

A look of confusion plays on Waverly’s face. She wasn’t expecting such kindness from a complete stranger. But then it seems that when she expects the Haught women to be upset or yell, they never do. She isn’t sure how to handle situations where someone isn’t telling her how she is supposed to be feeling.  

 

“Nicole told me about how you are questioning your parentage.”

 

Oh, of course.

 

How had she forgotten that Nicole’s mother had experienced similar questions? Waverly closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. She’s actually not sure if she is ready to talk about this part of her chaotic life right now. But she realizes that she may not have a choice in the matter. So she opens her eyes and asks “what was it like for you?’

 

As Waverly looks into Maggie’s eyes she realizes how alike the mother and daughter are. They share the same eyes, strikingly similar face and hair, and they have the same speech mannerisms. Although Maggie has a much more pronounce twang. Nicole’s accent only emerges occasionally, usually only when she is very tired or stressed. And both women have a kindness in their eyes that melts any anxiety Waverly may have.

 

“Well, I know it is nothing like what you are going through. But I always knew I was adopted. But to me, being adopted meant that I was chosen. That I was special because my adopted family loved me and wanted me.”

 

Maggie rubs Waverly’s hand and then lets go. She cocks her head to the side, and Waverly is struck again by the similarities between mother and daughter. Maggie clasps her hands together and begins rubbing her thumbs together. Waverly realizes that this is a nervous tick that Maggie has. The realization surprises Waverly. She didn’t think this confident woman would be nervous talking to her.

 

“It wasn’t until I was older that I began questioning the why of my adoption. Why would my birth parents abandon me? Did they not want me? What had I done wrong? I was just a baby. Why would they not love me? Was there something inherently wrong with me?”

 

Waverly felt her chest constrict slightly. She had been having these same thoughts.

 

“My mother was my rock. I knew she loved me more than anything else in this world. My father though,” here Maggie pauses. A far away look settling over her face for a few moments. She seems to come to herself and continues, looking at Waverly, “well, let’s just say he was less than thrilled at the idea of raising a girl. I didn’t realize until much later that he just didn’t know how to deal with a girl. He had only been around boys or men most of his life. I think I scared him to death, honestly.”

 

She laughs and shakes her head. “But to a young girl, it just felt like a rejection of who I was as a person. I couldn’t really help the fact that I was a girl. Nor could I change the fact that I was a disappointment to my father no matter what I did to try to make him proud. Whatever I did was never enough.” Maggie sighs, takes a deep breath then smiles wistfully at Waverly.

 

“And we moved quite a bit when I was growing up. I never had friends for very long. So I always felt like a third wheel. Barging in on already established friendships. I started to feel like I didn’t know who I truly was because I was always changing who I was to fit in. Be the person that everyone around me expected me to be. After a while, I think I forgot who I truly was, if that makes any sense.”

 

Waverly whispers, “More than you know.” And she remembers all the times that she stuffed down who she was to fit in with her friends in Purgatory. Stephanie was always making fun of her and her family so she would laugh along even when she was the butt of the jokes. Champ wanting her to stop thinking. The whole town of Purgatory wanting her to ignore the Earp Curse and her sister so that they could continue their lives of ignorance. She understands losing who you are just to be accepted.

 

Maggie smiles at Waverly. “But then I went off to college. I was smart. I always knew that. And I didn’t have to hide it at college. I didn’t see anyone I went to high school with so I didn’t have to pretend to be someone I wasn’t. I excelled. And I made new friends who accepted me for who I was. My mom was always proud of me, but then my dad started to show me that he was proud of me too. My confidence in myself really grew. And as it grew, the better my life became. I finally met Nicole’s father and then everything clicked. He always brought out the best in me. He was very supportive. And he was the first person besides my mom who truly put my needs above his own. He was always doing thoughtful things for me. It always surprised me. It still does.”

 

“Nicole told me that your biological parents reached out to you?”

 

Maggie laughs. “No, not both of them. My biological mother contacted me a few years ago. It caught me off guard. I had completely stopped thinking about them. I used to wonder where I came from a lot as a teenager and before I married Robert. I wondered where my eye color came from, my hair color, the shape of my face or my hands. But once we were married, and then especially once we started a family, it never crossed my mind again. I had my family. I knew who I was. Eye color, hair color or whatever didn’t matter. Those physical manifestations didn’t make me who I was. My experiences did. The people who loved me and supported me shaped who I became. I didn’t need to know where I came from because it wasn’t going to change where I was going, or who I wanted to be.   Does that make sense?” Maggie looks at Waverly as if she expects an answer.

 

Waverly muses on what Maggie has just shared and realizes that she does understand. She knows that Wynonna believes in her, the true her. And she knows that as long as she has known Nicole, she has always seen Waverly for who she is and not who Purgatory thinks she should be. And that has made her feel safe to truly embrace herself. She realizes that she will always love Wynonna like a sister, even if they aren’t related by blood.   And Waverly will do anything in her power to help Wynonna break that damn curse. And she wants Nicole to feel as safe and protected with her as Waverly feels with Nicole.

 

“Yes,” Waverly says with more conviction than she has felt in weeks. “Yes that makes perfect sense.”

 

“Good.” Maggie takes one of Waverly’s hands in her own again. “It took me a while to get to that point. But once I did it felt really good to be there.” She smiles again at Waverly, then sighs and looks at their hands.

 

“Hearing from my biological mother was not quite what I expected.” She looks at Waverly intently. “It really brought all the uncertainty that I had put behind me back into the forefront of my life. And then once I actually met her, well. Let’s just say all the anxiety grew tenfold.” Maggie pauses, looking out the window to the setting sun over the forest.

 

“Was it bad?” Waverly almost whispers.

 

Maggie looks back to Waverly. “No. No it wasn’t. That was sort of what made it more difficult. She is a wonderful person. She was in love and got pregnant. My biological father didn’t want that and left. She wanted to give me a better life, so she put me up for adoption.   It was really the best case scenario.”

 

She sighs again looking at her hands. “The hard part for me is that she then married a wonderful man and now has two great kids, well adults. They are only a few years younger than me.  She is very close to both of them. She is a great mother.”

 

Maggie looks out the window again. “I just can’t stop thinking that she is a great mom and she loves her kids more than anything. And yet she didn’t want me.”

 

Waverly feels the tear slip down her check. She understands to her core the feeling of rejection that she sees on Maggie’s face. She feels it too. It doesn’t really matter the reason for the abandonment, it’s the abandonment itself that breeds the feeling of worthlessness. Even when it is done in love.

 

Maggie closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. She looks back to Waverly and sorrow fills her face. She reaches up and brushes the tears from Waverly’s face. “Oh my dear one, I’m sorry. This got much more emotional that I meant it too. I just wanted you to know that you are not alone in what you are feeling. And it is not wrong to feel what you do. You have every right to it. Don’t hide it or feel guilty. No matter what it is you are feeling. You are so worthy of being loved.”

 

And this just makes Waverly cry harder because Maggie is trying to make her feel better, just like Nicole does every time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for all the encouragement. Please let me know what you think. I really hope you liked it.


	5. Georgia rainbow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly is reminded of why she has come to Georgia.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for everyones kudos and comments. I love seeing them all. Sorry this has taken a while. Irma was a little distracting. I am keeping all those affected in my thoughts.

“Waves! You’re alive! I was afraid you were eaten by Big Foot!” She drops her voice an octave. “Have you seen him? I’m just asking for a friend.” Wynonna puts air quotes around friend.

 

“Hey Wynonna. Very funny.” Waverly moves from the window of one of the Haught guest rooms to the bed. “It’s been a long couple of days. I’m exhausted. How is everyone there?”

 

Wynonna turns her phone around to show Waverly a view of the BBD offices. Dolls is clapping Jeremy on the back. Jeremy is coughing.

 

“Are those bubbles coming out of Jeremy?” Waverly asks incredulously.

 

Wynonna turns her camera back towards herself. “Yup! We were chasing this weird fishy-froglike creature who was stealing all of the carrots in town. And then Jeremy tripped and fell into what might have been some of its eggs? We aren’t really sure. He swallowed a few and has been coughing up bubbles ever since. I was hoping you could possibly help us figure out how to stop Jeremy from bubbling over?”

 

Wynonna grins at Waverly and shrugs her shoulders.

 

“I’ll see what I can find,” Waverly sighs. “Maybe try giving him some baking soda in water?”

 

“And how is it going with Haught stuff? Everyone in town keeps asking me when she is coming back. For some reason, they all think I’ve got a direct line to her. I don’t think I’ve ever been this popular.” Wynonna rolls her eyes.

 

“That’s because you do have a direct line to her, silly.” Waverly laughs. Then she sighs again. “I don’t know what her plans are. I haven’t actually talked to Nicole since I got here.”

 

“What?” Wynonna looks shocked. “Wait, does that mean you guys have just been making out all day? In front of her parents? Wow, I didn’t think you had it in you baby girl!” Wynonna gives Waverly an impressed smile and a wink.

 

Waverly just rolls her eyes. “No, Wynonna. She has pretty much been avoiding me since I got here.”

 

“Oh. Sorry Waves. I thought you guys would be all good by now.”

 

“Yeah, I was hoping… But I did have a really good talk with her mom. She helped me realize a few things about myself. She and Nicole are very similar. So far everyone has been really nice.”

 

“Wow. That sounds really,” Wynonna pauses for a second, “boring.”

 

“Wynonna!” Waverly snaps.

 

“But good!” Wynonna quickly backtracks. Then laughs as she holds up her hands in a placating gesture, “Very healthy to be surrounded by boring people all the time. And who knows, sometimes the boring ones actually have the most interesting stories.”

 

“I’ll talk to you later, Wynonna. Give everyone my love.”

 

“Wait, Waverly.” Wynonna quickly says before Waverly can end the facetime call. “Tell Nicole we are all thinking about her. And tell her I hope she comes home soon. You can even tell her I miss her, if that will help.”

 

“I will. I don’t know if she will believe me. But I’ll tell her.”

 

“Oh, and Nedley wanted me to tell her that Calamity Jane is doing fine. And he is almost recovered from all the cat scratches and bites she has been giving him. He looks almost normal again.” Wynonna laughs.

 

“Will do. Love you Wynonna.”

 

Waverly ends the facetime call and lies back on the bed. She is physically exhausted, but her brain just won’t turn off.

 

\------

 

 

The next morning, Waverly works her way down to the kitchen. She finds it eerily empty. There is coffee in the coffee pot, the table is set, complete with grapefruit halves on each plate, buttered toast spread neatly on a platter, and a casserole of cheesy scrambled eggs sits proudly in the center of the table. The only thing missing is someone to eat the feast.

 

Then Waverly notices the open door to the back porch. She grabs a mug and fills it with coffee. And then she slips out the open door. The sun has only slightly crested the tops of the trees and Waverly finds the view stunning. Hazy, rolling green mountains seem to keep going forever. The view is very different from the stark beauty of Purgatory.

 

And then she notices the rainbow that is filling the sky. She lets out an involuntary gasp. “Oh.”

 

“It is beautiful, isn’t it? I love morning rainbows.” The deep voice startles Waverly from her reverie.

 

“Oh, uh, good morning Mr. Haught.”

 

“Good morning to you Waverly. And please call me Rob.” He stands from the rocking chair he has been sitting in. “I hope you slept well?”

 

“Yes sir. Once I actually was able to fall asleep, I slept very well. Thank you.”

 

“Good, good. Please join me.” He motions for Waverly to sit in one of the four rocking chairs gracing the back porch. Both Waverly and Nicole’s father sit. Only Mr. Haught starts rocking.

 

“One of the things I love about rainbows is how ordinary elements such as sunlight and water, things I take for granted every day, can be transformed into something so unique and special that many cultures have myths as to the magic that a rainbow holds. Two wonderful elements on their own that combine to make something so extraordinary.”

 

He continues in a quieter tone, almost to himself. “Sometimes people are like that too. They find someone who can elevate them from wonderfully normal to uniquely extraordinary.”

 

Robert sighs and takes a long sip of his coffee. “And I just can never wrap my brain around the fact that the sunlight travels over 93 million miles to get here. My mind just can not grasp the vastness of that distance.” He looks at Waverly and laughs. “I know how and why it all works, and yet I still can’t help but believe it’s magic.” Waverly is reminded of her talk with Nicole in the coffee shop and her heart flips.

 

Rob is smiling at her and she notices that he has the same dimple as Nicole.

 

Waverly smiles back. “I see where Nicole gets her charm.”

 

“Oh no! That is all her mother’s doing. But thank you for saying so.”

 

They sit for a few minutes in quiet contemplation. Waverly mulling over how people can change depending on who they are around.

 

The sun shines even brighter and the rainbow slowly fades.

 

Rob clears his throat. “Waverly, I’m very grateful that you are here.” He is looking at his coffee very intently.

 

“Thank you Mr. Haught. I’m glad I’m here too. I just hope Nicole is happy I’m here.”

 

Rob gazes at Waverly with the same intense look he gave his coffee. “Oh, she is. Trust me. I know my daughter. She is very happy you are here.” He looks back down to his coffee. “She just doesn’t know how to process her emotions anymore. Addison’s death has, well,” he closes his eyes and sighs. Then looks back to Waverly.   He looks as if his entire world has been destroyed. “It has shaken all of us to the core. But Nicole most of all.   Honestly, I’m worried about her.”

 

Waverly can feel the depth of his loss radiating from him.   Her eyes are shining when she asks, “What can I do?”

 

“You, Waverly Earp, are the sunshine that transforms my wonderful daughter into an extraordinary version of herself. She needs you. She just doesn’t know how to tell you right now.”

 

Waverly knows at that moment that she will stay in Georgia as long as Nicole needs her to.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope it was worth the wait. And don't worry Nicole and Waverly will actually talk in the next chapter.


	6. Crazy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly finds Nicole.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had some free time and was able to work on this. I've been trying to work this scene out since I finished the first chapter. I'm not sure if I'm completely happy with it, but sometimes you just have to stop messing with it. I hope you like it.

Waverly has been looking for Nicole all morning. Bruce left mid morning with exchanged phone numbers, email addresses and promises to stay in touch. He told Waverly and Nicole’s parents that Nicole had said goodbye and thanked him profusely much earlier that morning. He had not seen her since.

 

Maggie had regretfully left shortly after Bruce. She wanted to catch up with some of her classwork. The administration at the college where she taught physics was very accommodating, and Maggie had been on leave for about three weeks. But she felt that she needed to at least start attempting to return to her previous schedule. So she was going to meet some students today for office hours. She would return home later in the evening.

 

Rob had stayed with Waverly for a while. They had chatted about a lot of things. Waverly kept asking questions about when Nicole was young. Rob told very entertaining stories.  After a while when Nicole didn’t make an appearance, Waverly set out to find Nicole. Rob wasn’t sure where she might be. She had quite a few places she liked to slip off to when she wanted to be alone.

 

\-----

 

Waverly slips inside the door of the small building. There are windows in every wall and even skylights in the ceiling. A couch and side table sit against one wall. Music is playing from speakers that are plugged into a phone on the table. Waverly doesn’t recognize the song, but it sounds like Dolly Parton. Nicole is at the back of the room. She is standing in front of an easel. There are paintings hung on any open wall space in the room.

 

Waverly walks up behind Nicole. Nicole has a pencil in her hand. She is looking at an almost finished drawing of a young woman walking with a horse through a field. The horse looks familiar to Waverly and she realizes it is the same horse Nicole was riding when she arrived. The markings on its forehead are the same.

 

Waverly clears her throat. “Hey.” She says.

 

Nicole turns. There is a lost look in her eyes. But as she catches Waverly’s gaze, a smile settles on her face. “Hey,” Nicole echoes back.

 

“That’s really beautiful.” Waverly nods at the drawing Nicole is working on. “I didn’t know that you were an artist too. Is that your sister?”

 

“Yes, Silver is, ah was her horse.” Nicole bobs her head and turns back to the drawing. “She loved that horse more than anything, or practically anyone in the world. I sometimes thought she would pick that horse over me, if it came down to choosing.”

 

“Did you paint all of these?” Waverly steps forward, standing next to Nicole. “They are amazing.”

 

“No, my mom did most of these. I’ve only done a few. This is her studio. I only squat here when I’m home. She comes out here all the time. It is her refuge. When I was little, I would sneak in and watch her paint for hours. I loved watching her mix the colors and then make a blank canvas come to life. It would fascinate me. Eventually she would realize I was here. She would set up a little easel for me and help me start my own painting. I was in heaven.” Nicole smiles at the memory. She drops her pencil on the small table next to the easel.

 

Nicole looks so at home. She looks so much like herself again. A weight settles in Waverly’s chest. She has missed seeing Nicole look like this.

 

The words just slip out. “Dance with me?”

 

Waverly takes a step towards Nicole. After a moment Nicole reaches out her left hand and softly grasps Waverly’s right in her own. Then she slips her right hand onto Waverly’s waist never taking her eyes from Waverly’s. Feeling Nicole in her arms steals the breath from Waverly’s lungs.

 

Nicole gently starts moving them slowly as Patsy Cline begins to sing.

 

“Crazy, I'm crazy for feeling so lonely.”

 

Everything fades around Waverly as her whole focus becomes Nicole and everywhere that Nicole is touching her.

  
I'm crazy, crazy for feeling so blue.”

 

And then so softly that Waverly can barely hear it, Nicole starts to sing along to the song.

  
“I knew you'd love me as long as you wanted.”

 

Waverly is caught by the intensity that is shinning in Nicole’s eyes.

  
“And then someday you'd leave me for somebody new.”

 

Nicole’s right hand pushes her hip slightly and Waverly feels herself spinning out until she is so far away from Nicole that only the tips of their fingers are touching. It is all that is keeping Waverly grounded in the moment.

 

“Worry, why do I let myself worry?”

 

And then Nicole is pulling her back, spinning her so her back is pressed against Nicole’s chest. Nicole’s breath whispering in her ear, causing Waverly’s eyes to shut and her whole body to shiver.

  
“Wondering what in the world did I do?”

 

Once again she is spun out. This time under Nicole’s arm.

  
“Crazy for thinking that my love could hold you.”

 

Nicole slowly spins her back in. This time Waverly is facing Nicole. And Nicole pulls Waverly flush against her. She spins both of them around.

  
“I'm crazy for trying and crazy for crying

And I'm crazy for loving you.”

 

Waverly closes her eyes and leans her head into Nicole’s shoulder. Her forehead comes to rest at the base of Nicole’s throat.

  
“Crazy for thinking that my love could hold you.”

 

Nicole slows their movements until they are simply swaying slowly. Waverly can feel Nicole’s whispered words in her ear.  


“I'm crazy for trying and crazy for crying  
And I'm crazy for loving you.”

 

As Patsy Cline’s and Nicole’s voices slowly fade, Waverly feels a tear slip from her eye. Waverly just wants to stand forever in Nicole’s arms. She desperately clings to the hope that they can find their way back to where they were just a few weeks ago.

 

And then Brenda Lee begins to croon.

 

“I’m sorry. So sorry

That I was such a fool.”

 

Nicole laughs. “My mom is such a sap.”

 

Waverly pulls back and looks at Nicole in surprise. “What?”

 

“This is my mom’s playlist for when she and dad fight. She comes out here, listens to this playlist and paints for hours. Eventually dad comes out and they talk and dance and everything is fine again.”

 

Nicole’s smile slowly slips from her face as the next lyrics are sung.

 

“You tell me mistakes

are part of being young,

but that don’t right the wrong that’s been done.”

 

Nicole has gone rigid as the words are crooned. Her eyes going from soft and warm to hard and slightly glazed over.

 

Brenda Lee continues the song, “I’m sorry, so sorry. Please accept my apologies but love is blind and I was too blind to see.”

 

Nicole’s breathing has gone very fast and shallow. Her grip on Waverly has tightened so much that it verges on painful.

 

Waverly’s confusion and fear colors her voice. “Nicole? What is it? What’s wrong?”

 

Nicole suddenly lets go of Waverly as she steps back. “I can’t…”

 

She looks desperately around the room. She finally locates the phone and strides over to it frantically unplugging it from the speaker and flinging it onto the couch.

 

Waverly just stares at Nicole’s back. She doesn’t understand what is happening. Nicole takes a deep, shuddering breath. Then her head bows and Waverly can see her shoulders start to shake imperceptibly.

 

She walks over to Nicole and gently starts to rub her back.

 

“Nicole, what is it?”

 

After a few moments Nicole whispers in a broken, tear-filled voice, “it’s all my fault. Addy wouldn’t be… I promised her…”

 

Waverly doesn’t know exactly what happened, but she does understand the guilt that Nicole is feeling. And all she wants to do it take that feeling from Nicole. So she hangs onto Nicole’s back with all her strength.

 

“Nicole, it’s not you fault.”

 

Nicole turns to face Waverly and takes a step away from her. As her arms drop to her side Waverly once again feels Nicole pulling away from her. Nicole runs a hand over her face. Waverly can see the pain and panic in her eyes.

 

“It is my fault, Waverly. I should have stopped him. I should have protected her. My entire life was about protecting her. It’s why I became who I am.”

 

Waverly grabs Nicole’s hands. “Nicole, he was going to hurt Addison no matter what you did. He is crazy, Nicole.”

 

Nicole frees her hands from Waverly and refuses to look at her. “No, I should have stopped him. It should have been me. Addy shouldn’t be… I should have stopped him.”

 

Waverly steps closer to Nicole and grabs her face. “Look at me Nicole.”

 

Nicole has her eyes shut. She is shaking her head.

 

“Nicole.” Waverly is rubbing her thumbs gently over Nicole’s cheeks. She can feel Nicole calming under her fingers. “Look at me.”

 

Nicole finally stills. She takes a slow, deep breath and opens her eyes.

 

Very softly, but with all her heart Waverly says, “You couldn’t stop him. It is not your fault.”

 

And Waverly can feel when Nicole breaks. Her eyes fill with tears. Her head falls to her chest. Nicole’s whole body slumps into Waverly. Waverly catches her and guides her to the couch. Sobs silently rack Nicole’s body. Waverly just holds her and whispers, “I’ve got you. You’ll be okay.” She just keeps whispering over and over into Nicole’s hair, desperate to believe her own words.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I hope that was okay. The story feels like it is starting to wrap up to me. I think just a couple of chapters more. Hopefully most of the angst is over and healing and happy times are soon here. Thanks for reading!  
> Oh, yeah. And just in case you didn't know. The songs are "Crazy" by Patsy Cline and "I'm Sorry" by Brenda Lee.


	7. Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole has a nightmare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I couldn't sleep last night and this happened.

Fear grips Nicole's heart.  Addison isn't answering her door.

 

"Addison? It's me, Nicole."

 

She tries the door. It’s unlocked. She pushes it slowly open. Slipping quietly inside, Nicole glances quickly around the small living space. There are signs of a struggle. An overturned lamp, papers strewn throughout the room, chairs knocked over.

 

Nicole draws her gun from its holster. 

 

She sees no sign of her sister or an intruder. She moves silently to the bedroom.  The door is slightly ajar. She can see a corner of the bed. And a foot. A foot covered with blood. She freezes. Something is not right. She can’t quite figure out what it is. She closes her eyes and shakes her head. When she opens them there is no foot. Did she see a foot? Is she hallucinating? Cold dread washes over her. What is happening?

 

She pushes the door open slowly. The bed is empty. She turns to look in the mirror across from the bed. Her heart stops. She sees her sister covered in a bloody sheet. She hears screaming, but she doesn’t know where it is coming from. She looks back to the bed. Her sister is there, but the sheet is gone. There is no blood. Addison is sitting up, reaching for her. “Nicole? Nicole, wake up.” But it isn’t Addison’s voice, it’s Waverly’s. Nicole takes a step back. Addison speaks again. “Nicole, it’s okay. You’re okay. Wake up.”

 

With a gasp, Nicole’s eyes fly open. A weight is pressing on her chest. She automatically tries to sit up, pushing the weight away. She can’t seem to catch her breath. She doesn’t know where she is. All she can see are dark shapes in a dark room.

 

“Nicole? You’re okay. You were having a nightmare.” Waverly is trying to sound calm even though she has never seen Nicole in such a confused state of panic before.

 

Nicole thinks she feels something grabbing her thigh. She pushes it away.

 

“Nicole. You’re safe. It’s me, Waverly.” She reaches out again. This time she grasps Nicole’s hand.

 

“Waverly? Where are we?” The confusion and fear from her dream is still coursing through her veins.

 

“It’s okay. We are in your mom’s studio. We fell asleep. You were having a nightmare." Her thumb starts gently rubbing circles on the back of Nicole’s hand. "I would turn on the lights, but I’m not sure where they are.” As they sit in the gloom, Waverly can feel Nicole begin to relax.

 

“I’m sorry Waverly. I hope I didn’t hurt you.” She almost sounds like herself again. Relief washes over Waverly.

 

“No, I’m fine. Do you want me to turn the lights on?” She moves closer to Nicole and gently puts her free hand on Nicole’s thigh.

 

After a few moments, Nicole takes a deep breath. “No. Would you mind if we just sit for a minute? I…I’m still…” She trails off.

 

“Of course, come here.” Waverly pulls Nicole to her and wraps her arms around her. Nicole buries her head into Waverly’s shoulder. Waverly gently rubs Nicole’s back.

 

They sit in the dark silence for several minutes. Waverly can feel Nicole’s heartbeat slow. And her breathing evens out. Slowly, Nicole’s arms loosely twine around Waverly’s waist.

 

Waverly is trying very hard to stay present in this moment for Nicole. Having Nicole in her arms, being able to smell her, Waverly is starting to lose herself.

 

She clears her throat. “Ah, Nicole? Are you feeling better?”

 

Nicole moves away from Waverly then. She pulls back and looks into Waverly’s eyes. Waverly immediately misses her. Immediately aches for the warmth against her skin, her smell consuming her senses.

 

And then she sees Nicole’s eyes. The warm, soft, beautiful eyes that gaze at her with such intensity. And once again Waverly’s breath is stolen from her chest. But she barely misses it because longing is buried deep in her gut. And it is hammering at her ribs to escape.

 

“I’ve missed this.” Nicole whispers. And her gaze drops to Waverly’s lips. “I…I’ve missed you.”

 

And Waverly’s heart nearly bursts from her chest with joy.

 

“I’ve missed you too.” Waverly whispers back. One of her hands moves unbidden to gently caress Nicole’s cheek. Her eyes shut and she leans into Waverly’s hand. Waverly moves forward and very gently kisses Nicole. And for a wonderful moment, Nicole kisses her back.

 

But then Nicole pulls away. Waverly can feel her mentally shake herself. “Waverly, wait.”

 

Nicole takes a breath. “I don’t want you to have any regrets.”

 

“I don’t. The only regret I have is what happened with... What I did. I’m so sorry.”

 

Nicole reaches up and strokes Waverly’s hand that is still caressing her cheek. “I don’t want you to be someone or something you’re not. I don’t want you to change yourself for me.”

 

“I’m not. I never have. You bring out the best in me. This… You are what I want more than anything in the world Nicole.”

 

“Are you sure?” It’s barely a whisper but Waverly feels it with her whole soul.

 

“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”

 

And she leans forward and smiles into Nicole’s lips.

 

And Nicole closes her eyes and kisses Waverly back. And she feels the shattered pieces of her heart shifting, slipping into new positions. The hole that has been aching is slowly filling. It is still sore and tender. And there are still raw bits that need to mend and heal. There are scars that are yet to be formed. But the healing has begun.

 

Happiness is washing over Waverly. It is so overwhelming it is almost painful.

 

They are kissing and grasping, clutching each other desperately and laughing. Joy and relief are palpable in the air.

 

Suddenly, Nicole pulls away, looking towards the door.

 

It opens quickly and someone flicks on the lights. Nicole automatically moves to place herself between the interloper and Waverly. They both blink rapidly at the unexpected light.

 

“Sis, are you squirreling yourself away in mom’s studio again?” A deep voice asks.

 

“Jason!” Nicole jumps up and in three strides grabs the young man who is almost the same height as her, who has the same colored hair as her. She picks him up in her arms and twirls him around. Finally letting him go when he laughs and cries, “Uncle. Sis. Uncle. I give.”

 

Nicole pulls Jason over to where Waverly is sitting on the couch. “Jason, this is Waverly.”

 

Waverly stands and extends her hand to shake his. He grasps it, but instead of shaking it, he brings it to his lips and gives it a kiss. “Such a pleasure to meet the special someone who could tame this wild mustang.”

 

“Jason!” Nicole punches him in the arm and rolls her eyes at him.

 

He just gives her a smirk. “I’m very pleased to meet you Waverly. Now give me a hug.” And he pulls her into the biggest bear hug she has ever had.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it. Let me know. I love hearing from everyone. I hope this is living up to your expectations.


	8. Silver dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole goes for a ride.

Fear grips Nicole's heart.  Addison isn't answering her door.

 

"Addison? It's me, Nicole."

 

She tries the door. It’s unlocked. She pushes it slowly open. Slipping quietly inside, Nicole glances quickly around the small living space. There are signs of a struggle. An overturned lamp, papers strewn throughout the room, chairs knocked over.

 

Nicole draws her gun from its holster. 

 

She sees no sign of her sister or an intruder. She moves silently to the bedroom.  The door is slightly ajar. She can see a corner of the bed. And a foot. She freezes. Something is not right. She can’t quite figure out what it is. She closes her eyes and shakes her head. Opening her eyes, she steps through the door.

 

But instead of walking into her sister’s bedroom, she walks into Silver’s stall.

 

“What the…?” Nicole mutters to herself as she glances around. Silver is standing in the middle of the small space. Nicole hears the sound of brushing. Someone is brushing Silver. And humming.

 

“Addison?” Nicole slowly walks to Silver. She pats the horse’s neck so she doesn’t spook him. She sees the blond top of a head on the other side of Silver bobbing to the song that is being hummed. Nicole can’t quite make out the tune.

 

She walks around the back of Silver. She is careful to keep her hand on the horse’s hide, so Silver knows where Nicole is going.

 

Nicole goes still as she gazes at her sister grooming the horse. She just watches, memorizing the moment.

 

“You’re being kind of creepy stalkerish, sis,” Addison finally says turning to face Nicole with a big grin on her face.

 

“I thought I would never see you again.”

 

“Aw now. You know you can’t keep a good Haught down, right?” Addison drops the brush. “What is up with that shirt, by the way? Never thought I would see you actually wearing a unicorn.” She says cocking her head slightly as she gestures to Nicole’s shirt.

 

Nicole looks down at the whimsical unicorn on the front of her t-shirt. “Uh, Waverly gave this to me, I think?” For a second she thinks she sees the unicorn wave at her. “I, uh, I can’t seem to remember. It’s a little hazy.”

 

“She’s right, you know.”

 

“What?” Nicole looks back to Addison who has stepped closer to Nicole.

 

“Waverly. She’s right. It’s not your fault what happened to me.” Addison steps even closer. She is only a hand’s-breadth away from Nicole. Suddenly she pokes Nicole in the chest with her index finger. “You need to stop blaming yourself.”

 

“Ow! Hey, that hurt!” Nicole brushes Addison’s hand away.

 

“I know. I’m going to keep doing it until you believe me.” Addison pokes her again.

 

“Fine, you weirdo. I’ll try to believe you.” Nicole rolls her eyes at her sister. “Hey, how do you know what Waverly told me?”

 

“Nicole,” Addison rolls her eyes right back at her sister. “I’m in your head! I know everything Waverly told you. And believe me, there is a lot in there that I wish I hadn’t seen!” Addison laughs.

 

“Yeah, sorry you saw some of that.” Nicole grins at Addison.

 

“You’ve got it bad for that one. Does she know what a brat you are?” Addison pokes Nicole in the chest again.

 

“She may or may not have experienced some of my brattiness. I choose to plead the fifth on that one.” The grin drops from Nicole’s face. “I wish she could meet you.”

 

“She will. She’ll get to know me through you. Second best only to the real thing.”

 

Nicole feels slightly lightheaded. Addison’s face starts to get blurry and everything starts to go dark.

 

“Addison, what’s going on?”

 

“You’re waking up Nicole. Time to face the real world.”

 

“I miss you. I don’t want to wake up if you’re not there Addy.” Nicole’s eyes are watering, making it even harder for her to make out Addison’s face.

 

“You’ve forgotten the most important thing sis.” Nicole feels Addison’s palm flat on her chest, exactly over her heart. “You don’t have to miss me. I’ll be with you always. I live right here.”

 

“Promise?” Everything is melting away.

 

“Always and forever.” Addison’s voice echoes in Nicole’s head as she wakes to the soft morning light streaming through her curtains. Nicole’s pillow is wet with tears.

 

\-------

 

It takes a while for Waverly to work her way out of bed and downstairs for breakfast. She slept deep and hard. She had stayed up late the night before. No drinking was involved, but the Haughts had been playing dominos all night. Waverly never knew that playing dominos could be so cut throat.

 

She saw a side of Nicole that she didn’t know existed. Trash talking her brother was apparently a skill she had worked on most of her life. And Nicole was very good at it.

 

To be honest, Waverly quite enjoyed this new side of Nicole. It was rather exciting. Although having Nicole’s parents playing as well kept Waverly’s libido firmly in check. Which made the few times Nicole’s hand would begin to venture up Waverly’s leg under the safety of the kitchen table especially cruel. Or at least Waverly thought so. Nicole seemed to find Waverly’s discomfort very amusing.

 

“How is the reigning domino champion feeling this morning?” Nicole’s dad asked her when she finally lands in the kitchen.

 

“I’ll be great, once I get some coffee in me.” Waverly answers as she looks around the kitchen for a cup. “And I still think there was a conspiracy to let me win last night. There is no way I could beat you professional players.” Waverly laughs as Rob hands her a cup of her desired beverage.

 

“I think it was beginner’s luck. All our guests seem to be graced with it for some unknown reason.” Jason chimes in from the opposite end of the kitchen table that again is set with a breakfast casserole and fruit.

 

“Somehow I don’t think it was luck.” Waverly glances around. “Is Nicole up yet?”

 

Maggie walks in from the back porch just then. “She was up pretty early this morning. She took Silver out for a ride. She should be back in a bit. Why don’t you have some breakfast and then you can see if she is in the barn.” Maggie sits at the table and serves Waverly some of the breakfast casserole. “Do you ride Waverly? Would you like to take one of the horses out?”

 

“Oh, no thank you. But I will go find Nicole after breakfast.”

 

\------

 

Just a few minutes after Waverly has made herself comfortable on a bench just outside the barn, Nicole rides up on Silver. Once again Waverly is struck dumb by the sight of Nicole on a horse. She is wearing almost the same outfit as the last time Waverly saw her riding. She is wearing cowboy boots, dark blue jeans, a dark blue flannel and an old brown cowboy hat.

 

Nicole dismounts in front of Waverly. “Well, today is my lucky day. Fancy meeting you here little lady.” Nicole winks at Waverly.

 

Once again, Waverly snaps her mouth shut. This is a habit Waverly will happily keep up if it means she gets to see Nicole riding horses on a regular basis.

 

She stands and saunters the few feet to Nicole. “Hello cowboy.” A flash of confusion passes over Waverly’s face. She cocks her head. “Or should I say cowgirl?  Although that doesn’t have quite the same ring to it.”

 

Nicole grins at Waverly's rambling.  Her dimples are on full display.

 

Waverly looks a little crestfallen. “I think I just ruined the moment there.”

 

Nicole laughs outright at the remark.

 

“You didn’t ruin anything. I always find your ramblings cute.” Nicole states as she reaches out and takes Waverly’s hand.

 

Waverly pouts, “but I wasn’t trying for cute. You look so good in your hat and your shirt. And when I saw you ride up on Silver!” Waverly steps into Nicole and snakes a hand to the back of her neck. She starts to play with Nicole’s hair. “You took my breath away.”

 

Nicole’s hands grasp at Waverly’s waist. There is a glint in Nicole’s eye as she says, “Why Ms. Earp, I do believe you are trying to seduce me.”

 

“Is it working?” Waverly asks as she pulls Nicole’s head down to her.

 

“Always.” Nicole whispers as she kisses Waverly chastely. After a moment of them slowly rediscovering each other, the kiss deepens and a hint of desperation enters their exploration.

 

Suddenly Nicole is pushed rudely from behind. Silver snorts loudly.

 

Waverly giggles. “Oh my gosh. We’re being interrupted by a horse!”

 

Nicole releases Waverly reluctantly. “He’s probably hungry. I took him out before I fed him this morning. I’m sure he can’t understand the holdup. I’ll clean him up and then feed him. You’re welcome to watch, if you can stand it.” Nicole winks at Waverly again.

 

Waverly laughs as she caresses Nicole’s cheek. “I’ll try to keep my hands to myself.”  She quickly pecks Nicole on the lips.

 

As Nicole turns to lead Silver into the barn, Waverly stops her with a hand on her chest.

 

“Nicole?” Waverly looks concerned.

 

“Hmm?” Nicole hums as she faces Waverly.

 

“How did… Is this? Are you okay?” Waverly gently rubs at a small, dark bruise that is directly in the center of Nicole’s chest.

 

Nicole looks down. For a moment she is silent. Then she gently takes Waverly’s hand and places it flat on her chest, directly over the bruise. She looks deeply into Waverly’s eyes. “That is a reminder to listen to you and not blame myself for everything that happened to Addison.”

 

Waverly’s eyes begin to tear up. In a whisper she asks, “Nicole Haught, are you trying to seduce me?”

 

Nicole gently places a kiss on the palm of the hand that was just over her heart. “Is it working?”

 

For Waverly, the world has condensed until it only consists of Nicole and where Nicole is touching her. She breathes out, “Always.”

 

As the two women begin to lean into each other, Silver vehemently shakes his head and snorts.


	9. Unboxing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole finally gets around to the boxes from Purgatory. And some news get delivered that shakes the family to the core.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone. Sorry this has taken so long. I was traveling with no access to the internet.
> 
> The idea for this chapter came from a couple of comments that were made about the second chapter. It has been rolling around in my head since then. It didn't turn out how I envisioned it, but i hope it's okay. I hope you enjoy it.

“So you're telling me that you bought a white foal just so you could raise a horse named Silver? Because you wanted your kids to ride him and say ‘Hi-Yo Silver! Away?’” Waverly is looking incredulously between Maggie and Rob. 

 

Nicole and Jason are barely able to keep straight faces as their parents try to rationalize their actions. "The Lone Ranger was my favorite tv show when I was a kid." Rob offers with a shrug.  “And it was a long time ago?” He continues lamely.

 

"I think having such a tangible prop really brought out our children's love of drama," Maggie expounds.

 

"If by love of drama you mean loving to shoot each other with cap guns and bows and arrows, then yes, it did foster my love of the dramatic." Nicole says as she throws a carrot at her brother.

 

"Argh!!! I've been shot!" Jason moans as he grabs his chest where the carrot bounced off. He then slides to the floor moaning, "I'm dying! I'm dying!" He ends up flopping like a dying fish for several moments until his body stills, his tongue hanging out.

 

"Drama queen." Nicole laughs.

 

Maggie sighs. "Jason always has gone for the “Over the Top” dramatic choices."

 

"I learned from the best, Mama!” He scrambles up and places a kiss on her temple. "Show Waverly your classic Scarlet O’Hara scenes.”

 

Maggie's face flushes a bright pink. “That’s enough from you two hooligans. You need to find something to do to entertain Waverly for the afternoon. I’m sure my flair for the dramatic is of no interest to her whatsoever.”

 

Nicole stands. “Well, I don’t know if it is entertaining exactly, but” she glances shyly at Waverly. “I was wondering if you would help me go through all the packages from Purgatory?”

 

Waverly smiles brightly at her. “I’d love to!”

 

Jason scrambles off the floor. “Can I come too? I’ll make obnoxious, unnecessary comments! It will be so much fun!”

 

Nicole turns and glowers at her brother. Maggie steps swiftly between the two siblings. “Jason, you can make obnoxious and unnecessary comments to me as you help clean up from lunch.” She grabs his shoulders and turns him towards the sink. As she not so gently shoves Jason, she shoos Nicole and Waverly away, gesturing with her head. “Go, you two. Quickly, while you still have time.”

 

\-----------

 

Nicole just stands with her arms crossed and her head cocked to one side. She stares at the packages with a perplexed look on her face. Waverly stands next to her mimicking her stance, but with an amused look on her face as she watches Nicole. Finally, Waverly reaches out and grabs one of Nicole’s hands and begins to pull her to the table where the packages are stacked.

 

“You have to just start Nicole. They aren’t going to open themselves.” Waverly smiles indulgently at Nicole.

 

“I know. It’s just that there are so many! I…I didn’t really think that anyone would notice that I was gone.” Nicole says meekly.

 

Waverly reaches up and gently strokes Nicole’s cheek. “Nicole, you’ve touched so many lives. Everyone noticed you were gone.”

 

Nicole pulls Waverly to her, her arms encircling Waverly’s waist. Nicole grins cheekily, “there are so many comments I could make about touching and being touched…”

 

Waverly has stopped breathing. Her hands have moved to the back of Nicole’s neck without her knowledge. She loves being this close to Nicole. Looking into those golden eyes. All her senses are filled with everything Nicole. She begins pulling Nicole’s head down.

 

“Dudes! Seriously, get a room!” Jason thumps Nicole soundly in the middle of her back.

 

Waverly quickly steps away from Nicole, missing the contact immediately. A flush creeps up her neck. Why does this keep happening to them?

 

“Jason! I am so going to strangle you.” Nicole punches him in the shoulder. “How did you escape mom?”

 

“Well, sis, there are only so many dishes that can be put away. And only so much mess that can be cleaned up.” He grabs a package from the top of the pile, shaking it next to his right ear. “Now what could this be?”

 

Nicole grabs for the package, worried that Jason will somehow damage the contents. “Give me that, you caveman.”

 

As she retrieves the package from Jason, he raises his hands in mock surrender and takes a step back. “Fine, I’ll leave the unboxing to you two. But I am going to make running commentary on what gets unpacked.”

 

Nicole rolls her eyes in Waverly’s direction. Waverly is thoroughly enjoying this banter between the siblings. She loves seeing Nicole like this, completely unguarded and at ease.

 

Nicole gently pulls the tape from the box. She reaches in and pulls out a very bright, lime green sweater. She holds it very still.

 

“And we start out with a doozy, folks. A sweater that could make your eyes bleed. What a way to kick things off.” Jason pretends he is commentating into a microphone.

 

Waverly laughs, “that beauty is from Mrs. Johnson. I saw her give it to Linda at the police station. Linda thought it was hideous too.”

 

Nicole throws the sweater at her brother’s head. “Here Jason, a present for you to show you how much I love you.”

 

She reaches into the box again and this time pulls out an armful of handmade, colorful cards. “Oh wow!” Nicole starts reading the top one, a huge grin plastered on her face.

 

“If you read every single thing, you’re never going to get through these. How about I start on this one?” Jason grabs another box.

 

“Fine,” Nicole says with exasperation. "I’ll put all the cards together and read them later.” She lunges for Jason again. “Now give me that!”

 

Nicole and Waverly unbox the rest of the packages, with Jason making snide comments the whole time. There are lots of preserves, boxes of chocolates, a couple cans of cat food, a few blankets, several more sweaters, a “Best Cop” mug with a bag of Nicole’s favorite coffee, quite a few stuffed animals, lots of cards and posters, and a signed basketball from the high school girls basketball team. Which leaves Jason speechless for a few appreciated moments.

 

There is even quite a bit of money. Nicole decides to talk with her parents about establishing a scholarship fund in her sister’s name.

 

Just as they finish up the last box, a police cruiser pulls up outside the house. Nicole and Jason head outside. Waverly trails behind, not wanting to intrude. Maggie and Rob walk out onto the porch just as the sheriff gets out of his car. He walks up to Nicole’s parents and shakes their hands. “Maggie, Rob.” He turns and nods to Nicole and Jason. “Nicole, Jason. And I’m sorry, I don’t believe we have met.” He reaches a hand out to Waverly, who is standing slightly behind Nicole.

 

“Oh, Sam. I’m sorry. This is Waverly Earp. Nicole’s girlfriend.” Maggie introduces Waverly. “Waverly, this is Sheriff Sam Turner. Is everything alright?”

 

Sam releases Waverly’s hand and steps back. “Nice to meet you Ms. Earp.” He faces Maggie and Rob. “I do have some news. I’m not exactly sure if you would consider it good or bad, but,” he pauses for a second and rubs his jaw. “Earlier today there was a fight at the correctional facility that Dave Johnson was being held at for the trial. He was stabbed to death. No one has been able to give me any other information about the incident.”

 

Sam sighs, “I don’t know if it brings you any comfort after what he did. I will say I am not going to lose any sleep over what happened to him.”

 

A stunned silence falls over everyone. After a few moments Sam shifts uncomfortably. Maggie seems to collect herself. “I’m sorry Sam, where are my manners. Would you like to come in and have something to drink?”

 

Relief washes over Sam’s face. “No thanks, Maggie. I should be going.” A sadness settles in his eyes. “I just wanted to make sure you heard the news from me before anyone else said anything. I know this will reopen everything for you.”

 

He shakes Rob's hand. As he reaches his hand to Maggie, she pulls him to her and gives him a big hug. “Thank you Sam,” she whispers. He slowly hugs her back. After a moment, they separate.

 

Sam clears his throat. His eyes glisten suspiciously. “Nicole, Jason, Ms. Earp. Sorry to have interrupted your afternoon.”

 

He turns and walks to his cruiser. As he drives off, everyone glances uncomfortably at each other. Finally Nicole breaks the silence, “I…I really don’t know how to feel right now.”

 

“Well I do.” Jason retorts. “I feel like going to the fair!”

 

“What?” Maggie, Rob and Nicole bark at Jason. Waverly just stands slightly behind everyone, not sure how she should act in this very personal situation.

 

“I’m glad the douchebag is dead.” Jason states unequivocally. “Sorry for his family, but not him. He was a bug that needed squashing. I’m going to celebrate by eating fried foods and riding crazy rides. And I’m going to make all of you go too. We need a little fun after the hell we’ve been through.”

 

Maggie and Rob start shaking their heads and protesting. Nicole looks at Waverly with questioning eyes. Waverly isn’t quite sure how she should respond, but she can’t help a small smile escaping when she thinks of going to a fair.

 

Nicole reaches out and takes Waverly’s hand.

 

“Okay,” Nicole says, turning to her parents. “I don’t entirely agree with Jason’s sentiments, but I do think he has a point. I agree that as a family, we could use a little bit of enjoyment right now. And I think Addy would want us to have some fun. She did love a good fair.”

 

Maggie seems ready to argue, then looks at Rob for a moment. “Fine. I concede. A little bit of fun would be a relief. But,” she says sternly. “I will NOT eat anything on a stick or deep fried oreos.”

 

She looks each of them in the eye. “Let’s get moving people. We’re burning daylight.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. I hope this story has kept you entertained. Thanks for all the kudos and comments. I really appreciate them.
> 
> PS. I think I've only got two more chapters before I wrap this story up. Hopefully I can finish those chapters faster than this chapter!


	10. The Fair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly, Nicole and Nicole's family head to a fair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone. Sorry this has taken so long. Everyday life got in the way of the lives I wanted to write about. And I discovered that angst is easier for me to write about than non-angsty stuff. I hope you feel that I did this justice.

A fair! They are going to a fair!

 

Waverly knows she shouldn’t be this excited. The news that Nicole’s family received was upsetting. But she loves fairs. And to get to go with Nicole? That just makes Waverly’s excitement bubble over.

 

The car ride has been interesting. As the drive begins, the atmosphere is tense. But soon the family begins to share memories of previous fairs. Jason eating too much food and then deciding riding the tilt-a-whirl is a good idea. After which he promptly pukes. Nicole laughs and recounts how she ate so many funnel cakes at one fair that she couldn’t look at fried dough for 3 years. And then she adds how Addy kept leaving donuts on her pillow, even as recently as last Christmas, just to watch her squirm. Rob talks fondly of the year he grew a monster squash and received a fourth place ribbon from the FFA.

 

Nicole leans into Waverly then and whispers in her ear that the FFA stands for Future Farmers of America.

 

At which point Waverly loses track of the banter because she becomes enthralled by the nearness of Nicole. Waverly can smell her shampoo and the mint of her toothpaste. Time seems to slow down. And Waverly feels as if she has become drunk off of Nicole’s scent. The warmth of her thigh pressing against Waverly’s is almost overwhelming.

 

Than Nicole laughs at something that Maggie said. And Waverly stops breathing at the beauty of it. Nicole’s head is thrown back, her hair rippling in the breeze from the slightly open windows in the front of the car, her eyes sparkling with humor. Waverly’s chest blooms as if a wonderful, hidden flower has suddenly taken root in her heart. In that moment she feels that she is watching the broken pieces of Nicole’s soul finally begin to knit together. The scars are still deep, but the healing is firmly under way.

 

\-----

 

By the time they reach the fair, park the car, get tickets and actually enter the fair, twilight is just beginning to descend. The lights at the fair are beginning to twinkle to life.

 

“What would you like to do first? There are all the regular fair type rides: ferris wheel, tilt-a-whirl, fun house. There are also all the fair type games: ring toss, water gun races, balloon toss. And last but not least is all the fair food you could possibly imagine: funnel cakes, kettle corn, fried anything that can be fried, as well as anything you can imagine on a stick. And even some foods you can’t imagine.” Nicole finishes with a flourish and a slight grimace.

 

“There is also the livestock barn, the flower show, the canned goods and baking contests.” Maggie chimes in. “I think your dad and I will head to the flower show to start.”

 

“That will be great, as long as I can get a fried pie afterwards.” Rob smiles, winks at Waverly and begins to walk towards a big barn-like structure off to the right, pulling Maggie along by the hand he is holding.

 

“Well, since I’m the fifth wheel in this group, I think I’m going to go find some cheap beer and food on a stick to fill the void in my soul.” Jason grins as he heads off into the crowds.

 

“And then there were two.” Nicole says as she turns to Waverly. “What’s your pleasure?”

 

“There is so much to choose from. I don’t really know. What do you want to do?” Waverly replies.

 

“If you don’t care, I think I have an idea.” Nicole takes Waverly’s hand and begins walking quickly into the heart of the crowd.

 

\-----

 

“The ring toss is your go to first experience of a fair?” Waverly looks at Nicole with a confused expression on her face.

 

“Well, I figure there is no way anyone can win this game. It is definitely rigged. So after this, every experience will be better. Get the losing out of the way early.” Nicole hands the young man behind the counter her money and he hands her 5 rings. “Do you want to try?” She holds the rings out to Waverly.

 

Waverly shakes her head and laughs. “No, I’ll leave the losing up to you.”

 

Nicole shrugs and lines up the first ring. She throws and it lands on the neck of a bottle near the middle of the group. Waverly and the young man smile at each other.

 

Nicole lines up her next throw. It misses. And her next throw misses. And the next. On her last throw. Nicole turns her back and tosses the ring over her shoulder. She laughs when it lands on a bottle. “Want to try again?” The young man asks.

 

Nicole laughs, “no thanks. I’m going to stick to games I know I can win.”

 

Waverly spies a shooting gallery game. She grabs Nicole’s arm and begins to drag her towards it. “This! I want to try this game.”

 

As the man in the booth walks over to them a big grin splits his face. “Nicole Haught, as I live and breathe! I haven’t seen you in the last several seasons. Where have you been hiding?”

 

“Hey Sammy. I've been at the police academy. I'm a deputy now." Nicole tells the man proudly.

 

"That's great, Nicole. Any police force will be lucky to have you."

 

"Thanks, Sammy." She steps closer to Waverly, placing a hand on her lower back. "This is Waverly..." After a slight hesitation she continues. "My girlfriend."

 

Sammy reaches his hand out to Waverly and shakes her hand warmly. "Very nice to meet you Waverly. You are a very lucky woman."

 

"Don't I know it." Waverly replies. Looking from Sammy to Nicole. Nicole rubs the back of her neck awkwardly.

 

"Um, okay then. Sammy, Waverly would like to try out her shooting skills. Will you set her up, please?" Nicole places a few dollars on the counter.

 

"Sure thing, Nicole. But I'm only taking your money because I know you are going to shoot me out of house and home in a minute. Here you go Waverly."  Sammy hands her an air rifle. "You have ten shots. The more targets you shoot, the bigger your prize."

 

Waverly gives Nicole a slightly confused look. Nicole just shrugs. “Good luck, Waves. I know you’ll do great!”

 

Waverly aims the rifle and shoots. She hits six out of ten targets.

 

"Nice job, Waverly. You can pick from these prizes." Sammy points to a pile of small, cheap stuffed animals.

 

"I'd like the frog, please."

 

"Sure thing. Here you go." Sammy hands her the smiling frog. Then he hands another air rifle to Nicole. "Let the massacre begin." He proclaims.

 

Nicole looks at Waverly and gives her a lopsided grin. She takes aim and dispatches ten targets.

 

“Well that’s impressive.” Waverly smiles at Nicole.

 

“You ain’t seen nothin’ yet,” Sammy laughs as he hands Nicole a new air rifle. “Let’s see you hit all the corners.”

 

Nicole cocks her head. Swiftly lifting the rifle, she aims and quickly shoots all the targets in the corners until the rifle is empty.

 

Waverly’s eyes have gone very round.

 

“Okay, let’s see. What would be a challenge for you?” Sammy thinks for a moment, then smirks and hands Nicole another rifle. “I know, hit the corners with your eyes closed. That might be tough, even for you.”

 

Nicole narrows her eyes. She looks thoughtfully at the targets. Then her face breaks into a smile. “Deal. But if I do it, I get to pick two prizes. Anything I want.”

 

Sammy winks at Waverly.   “Deal.”

 

Nicole studies the targets. She lifts the rifle. She closes her eyes. As her finger moves to the trigger, Sammy startles her. “Wait. Just to make sure you don’t cheat, here is a blindfold.”

 

“Sammy. I don’t cheat. But fine.”   She turns to Waverly. “Will you tie it for me?”

 

“Sure,” Waverly responds. Sammy hands her the blindfold. She steps behind Nicole and slips the blindfold over her eyes.   She ties it for her and steps to the side. She doesn’t realize that she stopped breathing.

 

Nicole slowly raises the rifle to her shoulder. She slowly breathes out. She fires in rapid succession until the rifle is empty. She drops the rifle onto the counter and grabs the blindfold off of her head.

 

Sammy whistles as he shakes his head. “I honestly thought I might have actually stumped you this time Haught. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone shoot like you do.”

 

Waverly’s mouth is once again agape. She snaps it shuts and thinks that this woman will never stop surprising her.

 

“I’ve only seen one other person shoot like that,” she says to Sammy. She turns to Nicole, “Where did you say your mother’s family is from?”

 

“She has lived here for most of her life, but she was born in Valdosta. Why?” Nicole responds.

 

“So,” Sammy interrupts. “Which two prizes are you going to steal from me?”

 

Nicole turns to Waverly and gestures to the stuffed animals lining the stall. “Lady’s choice.”

 

With a grin, Waverly quickly studies the various animals until she spies the perfect one. She points it out to Sammy and he smiles as he hands it to her.

 

When Nicole sees Waverly’s prize, she laughs outright. “Now you have a lesbian AND a unicorn. How the times have changed.” Nicole reaches out and pulls Waverly to her.

 

Sammy clears his throat. “Sorry to break up this beautiful moment ladies, but there is a line now that everyone thinks shooting these targets is a breeze thanks to miss golden gun here. What’s your second trophy?”

 

“Your biggest, softest, cutest teddy bear,” Nicole replies, not taking her eyes off of a blushing Waverly.

 

When Waverly gives her a questioning look, Nicole shrugs and says “I thought I’d get something for the baby, if Wynonna approves of course.”

 

Waverly’s smile grows even more radiant and Nicole starts to bend to give her a kiss. Her lips encounter fuzz and she quickly steps back as Sammy laughs and shoves the teddy bear at her face.

 

“Thanks Sammy! I’ll see you around.” Nicole grabs the bear and Waverly’s elbow and begins to steer them out to an area that is less crowded.

 

“It was nice to meet you Waverly.” Sammy yells after them. Waverly waves goodbye as they make their way through the other games to a more open area.

 

\--------------

 

"Um, baby?"  Nicole hesitantly asks.

 

"Hm?"  Waverly hums into the back of Nicole's shoulder.

 

"You know I love it when you touch me, right?"

 

"Mm, hm."  Waverly hums again as she tightens her grip on Nicole's bicep.

 

"Well," Nicole hesitated for a moment.  "Would you mind loosening your death grip on my arm a bit? I've lost the feeling in my hand.  And I think I'm going to need it later." Nicole grins at Waverly over her shoulder.

 

"Oh, I'm sorry."  Waverly says, chagrined, as she drops Nicole's arm.

 

Turning to face Waverly, Nicole reassures her, "it's fine. Just a little looser next time."

 

Right then a giant, neon spider drops just to the right of Waverly.  She jumps straight into Nicole's arms with a shriek, grasping tightly to Nicole's waist and burying her face in Nicole’s neck.

 

After a moment of rubbing Waverly's back soothingly, Nicole gasps out "Can't breathe."

 

Waverly loosens her grip, but doesn't let go. She keeps her eyes shut. Her forehead pressed tightly to Nicole’s neck. A few moments later, Nicole motions for a group of teens who have entered the haunted schoolroom they are in to pass them by and continue through the haunted house.

 

“Waves? We can leave if you want. There is an exit right here. We’ll be out in mere moments.” Nicole tries to speak in a soothing tone.

 

Waverly breathes in determinedly. “No, I can do this. I’ll be fine. Let’s just go really fast.”

 

Nicole tilts Waverly’s chin up so that she can look Waverly in the eyes. “Waverly, look at me.” Nicole waits for Waverly to slowly open her eyes. “You are the bravest person I know. You fight demons! Real live demons! And you never bat an eye. You’ve got this. I know you do.” Nicole smiles at her, dimples on full display.

 

It takes a moment, but Waverly begins to smile back. “You’re right. This will be a piece of cake. I’ll just imagine I’m in Purgatory. Let’s go.”

 

She grabs Nicole’s hand and walks purposefully towards the next room.

 

\-----

 

They are waiting in line for the ferris wheel when Nicole gets a text message from her brother.

 

“Everyone is meeting up in about 20 minutes to watch the fireworks before we head home. Do you want to watch with them?” Nicole asks Waverly.

 

“Sure, that would be great.” Waverly grins at Nicole.

 

Nicole quickly types a response to Jason. She puts her phone into her back pocket and turns to Waverly. “I still can’t believe that you clocked that one guy that was dressed up like a possessed scarecrow! He was very surprised when he jumped out at you.” Nicole laughs and shakes her head.

 

Waverly looks chagrined. “Well, he brought back bad memories.   It was an automatic response. I did apologize immediately.”

 

“I think the word spread quickly because nobody jumped out at us for the rest of that haunted house. And they seemed pretty happy to see us leave.” Nicole laughs again. “Remind me never to try to scare you. I have a feeling it would end badly for me.”

 

They reach the loading station for the ferris wheel and are quickly ushered into the bucket and buckled in by a disheveled looking young man. Waverly thanks him and gives him a huge smile. He brightens visibly.

 

As Nicole settles the stuffed bear for the baby between them, the wheel rotates a short way and then stops for the next people to be loaded into their bucket. “He thinks you like him,” Nicole observes.

 

“What? No he doesn’t. I was just being nice.” Waverly retorts.

 

“Really? He hasn’t taken his eyes off you since you smiled at him. He isn’t even checking those people to make sure their seatbelts are buckled.” Nicole points out.

 

Waverly looks down at the young man smiling goofily at her. He gives her a small wave. She smiles and gives a small wave back. She is still smiling when she looks back at Nicole. “Are you jealous?” She says playfully. At the hurt look in Nicole’s eyes, the playfulness falls from Waverly. She reaches out and takes one of Nicole’s hands in her own. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that.”

 

Nicole looks away as the wheel stops to let the last couple onto the ride. “Maybe we should…”

 

Waverly’s hand instinctively tightens around Nicole’s as a cold feeling invades her gut. “No!” She says quickly and loudly, startling Nicole into looking at her again. “Don’t…don’t finish that sentence.” She looks down at their hands. “I know that recently I’ve given you cause to doubt me. To doubt how I feel about us. And I’m sorry about that.” Waverly closes her eyes and takes a deep, steadying breath. “Really, really sorry about that.” She opens her eyes and looks earnestly at Nicole, “but it only made me realize how much I feel for you, Nicole. I love you. I have for a long time. But I was afraid to say it out loud. I was afraid to acknowledge to myself how much you mean to me.”

 

Waverly looks down at their intertwined hands again and continues softly, “people don’t exactly stick around in my life. Or treat me very well. And I only realized after you told me you were leaving how much I need you. How much I love you.” She looks into Nicole’s eyes again. “Please don’t tell me I need to think about what I want, because I know what I want. For the last few weeks I’ve thought about nothing else.”

 

Waverly takes a deep breath, “I want you. I want us. More than anything I’ve ever wanted in my life.” She stops abruptly and waits for Nicole to say something. Anything.

 

Waverly can’t read the expression on Nicole’s face and that makes her nervous. She feels as if her entire future hangs in the balance of how Nicole will react to her word vomit of emotions. She doesn’t realize she has stopped breathing until Nicole slowly grins lopsidedly at her. She exhales as Nicole breathes out a “Wow.”

 

Nicole laughs softly. “I was actually going to say that maybe we should be sure to get some cotton candy before the fireworks.” Nicole’s dimples pop as her smile grows, “but that was so much better.”

 

Waverly grins happily at her, “Really?”

 

“Really.” Nicole leans closer to Waverly. “I have a secret.”

 

Waverly’s eyes have drifted down to Nicole’s lip as they have moved closer to her. “What is it?” She whispers.

 

“I love you too.” And Nicole closes the small gap that is between them and softly kisses Waverly.

 

Happiness floods through Waverly and she can’t help but smile. “Really?” she whispers into Nicole’s lips.

 

Nicole pulls back from Waverly. “Cross my heart and hope to die,” she says very seriously. Then she smiles again and leans forward. This time when she kisses Waverly, it is still soft, but there is a hunger as well. Waverly kisses her back with a neediness of her own.

 

\-----

 

“You two look like you’ve had a great time tonight.” Waverly says to Maggie and Robert when she and Nicole find them amongst the crowd.

 

The older couple is holding hands. They are eating churros and laughing together. “Yes. We have had a fun time. The vegetable exhibits were extraodinary this year. There was a 40 pound squash!” Robert responds excitedly.

 

Waverly laughs. “I can tell you liked it.”

 

Just then a hand claps Nicole on the back. “You look happy,” Jason says, smiling at Nicole. “And I had lots of good beer!” He continues. Then he turns to look at Waverly. He claps her on the back with his free hand. “You look happy, too.” He looks blearily between Waverly and Nicole. “You two look happy together.   And I’m happy for you. Look! Now we are all happy! And what a happy teddy bear!” He grabs the teddy bear from Nicole’s hand.

 

Maggie pulls Jason from between Nicole and Waverly. “You come be happy with your dad and me.” Maggie winks at Waverly. “We’ll watch the fireworks and then head home. It’s been a pretty long day.” She pulls Jason a little ways from Nicole and Waverly, trying to give them a semblance of privacy in the sea of people they are in.

 

Nicole grabs Waverly’s hands in hers and pulls Waverly to her. “You know,” she says cocking her head to the side as she looks at Waverly. “Jason is right. I am happy.”

 

“Me too,” Waverly smiles up at her girlfriend. Nicole grasps Waverly around the waist and Waverly’s hands slide up to Nicole’s neck.

 

“Maybe my mom is right too.” Nicole says quietly. Waverly looks at her questioningly. “It has been a long day. A long several weeks. A long month.” Realization of what Nicole is talking about dawns on Waverly. “I think I’m about ready to head home,” Nicole tells Waverly. “I think I’m ready to head home with you. To Purgatory.” Nicole looks for confirmation from Waverly, “Are you ready to head back home?”

 

Waverly smiles brilliantly at Nicole, “I’m ready to go where ever you need to be Nicole. Always.”

 

Neither Nicole nor Waverly realize when the fireworks start. They have started their own.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! And thanks for all the kudos and the comments. I love reading them. Please let me know what you think of this chapter. I hope it lived up to your expectations.


	11. Goodbye Georgia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole and Waverly get ready to say goodbye to Georgia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the comments and kudos. I plan on addressing some of the theories in the next chapter. I really like writing this story. I hope you like it to.

“I thought I would find you here.”  
  
Nicole laughs.  “In bed?”  
  
“In MY bed, sis.”  
  
“Technically, I don’t think it can be called YOUR bed anymore.”  
  
“So what?  Now you’re going to hold my being dead against me?  Pretty low, sis.”  
  
All humor drops from Nicole.  “I thought I was ready to go back, Addy.  I thought I was better.  But now that I’m actually supposed to leave, I don’t know if I can.”  Tears slide down Nicole’s face.  Addy reaches out and gently strokes Nicole’s cheek.  
  
“Nicole, you don’t just get over grief.  It has a life of its own.  You’ll feel better one minute, then you’ll see something silly like a Twizzler or a Dr. Pepper, and a whole new wave of grief will overtake you.”  Addy smiles gently.  “But now you have a whole new family to help you through this.  The grief will always be there, it will just get easier to bear.”  
  
Nicole reaches up to her face and softly rubs her sister’s hand.  “I miss you.  I don’t know how to bear that.”  
  
Nicole’s phone starts starts to play “Born to Be Wild.”  She groans slightly.  
  
Addy laughs, “Well, you have a lot of people missing you too.  And they will make missing me a whole lot easier.”  
  
Nicole rolls over and grabs her phone off of the side table next to the bed.  She groggily answers, “Wynonna, it’s 5:30 in the morning.  I was sound asleep.”  She quickly swipes at the tears running down her face.  
  
“Oh,” Wynonna says in a chagrinned voice.  “I didn’t really think about what time it was there, sorry.”  
  
“Isn’t is 2:30 in Purgatory?  What’s wrong?  Are you okay?  Is the baby okay?”  Worry tinges Nicole’s voice.  She quickly sits up.  She is suddenly wide awake.    
  
“I’m fine.  Everything is fine.  The baby is fine.  Kicking up quite the storm.  Which is one reason why I couldn’t sleep.”  
  
“Oh, okay good.”  Nicole relaxes slightly.  She tilts her head.  “And what’s the other reason that you can’t sleep?”  
  
“I need your help with something.  You’re the only person I trust with this.”  
  
“Whatever you need Wynonna.”

 

\----------  
  
  
“I thought I might find you out here,” Robert says as he walks out on the back porch with a steaming cup of coffee.  Waverly is sitting in a rocking chair. She jumps up and gives Robert a big hug and an even bigger smile.  
  
“I was just enjoying the view one last time before we head back to Purgatory.”  Waverly’s smile falters.  “At least I think it’s the last time?  Nicole has put off leaving for the last three days, so I’m not sure if she is really ready to leave yet.  I mean, to be fair, we stayed because she needed to set up the foundation for Addy’s scholarship fund.”  Waverly sighs, “but last night she said we would be leaving today.  So, I guess we will see.”  
  
Robert laughs gently, motioning for Waverly to sit back down in the rocking chair.  “I think she is ready to leave today.  Not that I want you two to leave, but I know it’s time.”  
  
A look of confusion passes over Waverly’s face.  “You do?”  
  
Robert gently takes Waverly’s hand.  “Yes.  I could see it the night of the fair.  Something shifted in Nicole that night.  The grief wasn’t as all consuming as it had been.  It was still there, still overwhelming at times.  But I could see she would be okay.  She was starting to have moments of happiness.  She realized that life would go on.  That she could go on.”  
  
He looks Waverly in the eye.  “And I have a feeling that was because of you.  So thank you Waverly.  Thank you for giving me back one of my daughters.”  
  
He looks down at their hands and says so quietly that Waverly can barely hear him, “I was afraid I had lost them both.”  
  
Waverly blinks back tears.  “Nicole is really lucky to have a family like yours.”  
  
Robert smiles softly, “no, Waverly.  We are the lucky ones.  And now we are even luckier.”  He squeezes her hand gently.  “Now you are a part of this family.  No matter what happens, you are a part of this family.  Always.”  
  
And no matter how hard Waverly blinks, she can’t stop a few tears from sliding down her smiling face.

\----------

  
Maggie walks into the barn. She smiles to herself as she hears the sound of low murmuring and then answering nickers from Silver.  She stands just outside Silver’s stall, watching as Nicole brushes Silver.  
  
“I thought I’d find you here,” Maggie says as she opens the door and slips inside.  She strokes Silver’s forehead and he huffs. She laughs and pulls an apple out of her jacket pocket. He nuzzles her hand and gently grasps the fruit with his soft lips. He blows loud puffs out of his nose as he nods his head, crunching loudly as he does.  
  
“He is so spoiled,” Nicole laughs.  
  
“Yes he is,” Maggie replies, smiling.  “You girls wouldn’t stand for anything less.”  
  
Nicole sobers immediately.  
  
“Momma?” Nicole says in a watery voice. “I’m not sure I’m ready to leave.” Tears gather in her eyes. Silver nickers softly, turning his head to watch Nicole with a concerned look and pawing the ground with his front leg.  
  
Maggie strides forward, gathering her daughter in her arms. “Oh, my sweet girl.” She gently strokes Nicole’s hair. They stand for a few minutes as Nicole quietly weeps into her mother’s neck, clutching desperately at her jacket.  Maggie keeps murmuring into Nicole’s hair, tears sliding down her own face.  
  
Slowly Nicole calms. The tears subsiding the longer she stays in her mother’s embrace. An errant hiccup escapes and both women laugh. The deep sound in her mother’s chest comforts Nicole even more. She sighs and leans back looking into her mother’s wet eyes.  
  
“That’s the first time I’ve cried just for Addy.” Nicole closes her eyes and shakes her head.  “It’s so hard Momma. Does it get better?”  
  
Maggie looks lovingly at her eldest daughter. “Yes it does.” She wipes Nicole’s face gently with the sleeve of her jacket. “It is sort of like an undertow. The more you fight it, the harder it is to escape. But if you can ride it out and you have people to help you through it, eventually you make it out the other side.”  
  
Maggie smiles and smooths Nicole’s hair out of her face.  “And from what I can see, you have a whole town of people to help you through this.  And one wonderful woman in particular.”  
  
Nicole laughs wetly.  “She is pretty great.”  She sighs, “yeah. I think it’s time.”  
  
“You’ve been ready since the fair Nicole.  Your dad and I could see it that night.  We just wondered when you would recognize it for yourself.”  Maggie rubs Nicole’s shoulders.  
  
Silver neighs loudly, tossing his head.  Both women laugh and pat his shoulders.  
  
“I’m going to miss Silver.” Nicole laments.  
  
“He’ll be here waiting for you. Whenever you come to visit. And you can come back anytime Nicole. You know that.”  Maggie knocks Nicole’s shoulder with her own.  “Now let’s go get you packed up so you can start out before dark.”

\-------------

  
Nicole finishes going through the gifts from everyone to decide what she wants to take back with them to purgatory.  She leaves the majority of the gifts for her parents.  Then she goes to take a quick shower so she wouldn’t smell like horse in the car.  Waverly is grateful for her thoughtfulness.  
  
Waverly and Jason are now packing the last of the boxes into the car as Maggie comes out with a cooler for Waverly.  
  
“I made a few sandwiches so you won’t have to stop, if you don’t want to.  And I put a couple pieces of peach pie in as well.”  
  
Jason stands and turns from the back seat and stares at his mother.  “What are you wearing?”  
  
Maggie smiles and looks down at the bright green sweater she just put on.  “Do you like it?  Nicole gave it to me.  Someone made it for her, but she thought I would like it.”  
  
Jason laughs, “of course Nicole gave it to you. It’s awful.”  
  
“Laugh all you want.  I love it.  The color is very,” Maggie falters for a moment.  “Bright,” she finishes lamely.    
  
“I think you mean loud,” Jason laughs again.  
  
Maggie and Waverly laugh as well.  
  
“Yes, I guess loud is the better word for it.”  Maggie looks down at the sweater.  “But I still love it.”  
  
Jason walks to his mother and gives her a big hug.  “And we still love you, even though you have awful taste in sweaters.”  
  
Nicole walks out of the house then. Her hair is still wet from her shower. She is wearing jeans and a black button down shirt.  She is carrying the last of her bags.  
  
Waverly's breath catches for a moment and she thinks that she will never get tired of watching this woman.  
  
“What did I miss?” Nicole asks.  “Your not leaving too, are you Jason?”  
  
“No, they aren’t throwing me out yet sis.” He laughs.  “We were just lamenting Momma’s awful taste in sweaters.”  
  
Nicole laughs.  “Better you than me, Momma.”  
  
Robert walks around the porch from the side of the house. He is carrying a bag of apples.  “What’s all this now?  You weren’t planning on leaving without saying goodbye, were you?”  
  
Nicole walks over and gives him a hug.  “No dad.  We were just getting ready.  I would never leave without saying goodbye.”  
  
Robert gives her a quick kiss on the forehead, “good.  I ran by the apple place and picked up your favorite Pink Lady apples for your ride home.”  He hands her the bag of apples.  
  
Nicole gives him another hug. This one much longer. She whispers in his ear, “I love you dad.”  
  
“I love you too, pumpkin.”  
  
As they part, their eyes are suspiciously moist.  Nicole puts the apples into the car.  
  
“Well, I guess this is it.  I’ve checked and double checked that we have everything.”    
  
The next few minutes are slight chaos as everyone hugs and kisses and says their goodbyes.  Finally Nicole can’t delay any longer.  She sighs as she and Waverly get into the car.  She rolls the window down. As they drive out of the driveway everyone calls out their last goodbyes and I love you’s.  
  
As they reach the end of the driveway, Nicole slows the car to a stop.  She looks over to Waverly, who smiles softly at her. “Hey you.”  
  
Waverly takes the hand that Nicole put on her knee.  “Hey you,” she replies, smile growing bigger.  
  
Nicole squeezes her hand.  “Ready to head home?”    
  
And Waverly sees the bigger question in Nicole’s eyes.  She squeezes Nicole’s hand back and with all the conviction in her heart replies simply, “always.”  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I keep thinking I'm near the end of the story, and then two or three more important story points pop into my head and I keep adding chapters. I hope you don't mind. 
> 
> At first I was thinking I wouldn't really focus on the trip home, but the more i think about it the more I want to see Nicole and Waverly spending time alone, just the two of them. Let me know what you think. 
> 
> Again, thanks for reading!


	12. resignation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly comes to a realization as she and Nicole begin their journey home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am sorry it has taken me so long to post an update. My life pretty much fell apart from Thanksgiving until now. I haven't had time to breathe, much less write. But I kept wanting to come back to this. And everyone's kudos and comments helped keep this alive for me. I hope to be able to update again much, much sooner. Thanks for all the support, it means a lot.

Waverly’s eyes flutter open. Confusion races through her brain. She isn’t sure where she is, but she is snuggled up against Nicole. Her head is resting against Nicole’s shoulder. Nicole’s arm is draped across Waverly’s back, her hand gently rubbing up and down her side. As she takes in her surroundings, one thought races through her mind.

 

“Um, Nicole?”

 

“Hm?” The gentle rubbing stops.

 

“Where are we going?”

 

“Well, I know how much you like to plan, but I want to surprise you.” Nicole glances at Waverly as she sits up, a questioning look on her face. “We are on our way home, but I have a surprise planned for us. Just you and me. We are going somewhere I’ve always wanted to go. And I want to share that with you.”

 

Waverly smiles warmly at Nicole.  “That is one of the sweetest things I’ve ever heard.”  She takes Nicole’s free hand in hers. She glances out the window at the trees whizzing by.

 

“Is it a landmark?”

 

Nicole laughs.  “You really don’t do well with surprises, do you?”

 

Waverly lifts her chin defiantly. “I am perfectly fine with surprises.”

 

Nicole tilts her head and raises her eyebrows in question.

 

Waverly looks at Nicole for several seconds before deflating.  “Okay, I’m fine when I’m surprising someone else. “

 

Nicole laughs, lifts their entwined fingers to her lips and kisses Waverly’s fingers. “I hope you will like this one. I’m not spilling the beans.”

 

Waverly looks hurt.  “What? How long do I have to wait? Are we almost there?”

 

Nicole’s eyes twinkle. “You’ll see. I’m not giving you any clues.”

 

Waverly huffs. “I don’t like this one bit.”

 

Nicole smiles. “Well I could tell you.” Waverly looks expectantly at Nicole. “But then I’d have to kill you.”

 

Waverly slaps at Nicole’s arm. “That is just downright mean. I thought southerners were supposed to be nice.”

 

Nicole laughs again. The sound loosens something in Waverly’s chest. She barely hears Nicole say, “There is a difference between having manners and being nice.”

 

Waverly settles into her seat a bit more. “Well, I don’t think you have manners either.” She crosses her arms over her chest and resolutely looks away from Nicole.

 

After a minute of as much silence as a car can give, Waverly sighs and looks back at Nicole. “Is it in the country or a city?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Nicole, that’s not fair!”

 

Nicole chuckles. “I’m not giving you any clues. You’re too smart and would figure it out in a heartbeat.”

 

Waverly bites her lip. Nicole glances over. Her eyes drop to Waverly’s mouth and Waverly can see her breath catch for a moment before her eyes move back to the road.

 

A new plan forms in Waverly’s brain.

 

“Nicole?” Waverly says in a soft and what Waverly hopes is a sultry voice.

 

“Hm?” Nicole answers, her eyes resolutely on the road ahead.

 

Waverly has a feeling that Nicole has caught on to her new idea on how to get information out of Nicole. But she decides to press on with her attack. She runs a hand up Nicole’s arm until she reaches her shoulder, then her neck, finally running lazily through her hair. Waverly can feel Nicole shift slightly, leaning imperceptibly into her touch. A knowing grin begins to form on her face, which she quickly suppresses.

 

“I’m starting to get tired. It’s getting dark. Are we going to stop soon?” Waverly holds her breath as she gently runs the back of her hand down the side of Nicole’s face. She can feel Nicole tremble slightly. A small shiver runs through her body at the thought that she can evoke such a visceral reaction in Nicole with a simple touch.

 

Waverly presses the full length of her torso into Nicole’s side, she leans her head forward and gently presses a tender kiss just under Nicole’s ear. “Baby?” Waverly breathes against Nicole’s ear. Nicole shivers and gruffly grunts out a sound vaguely resembling a “Hm?”

 

“Are we going to get there soon?”

 

Nicole clears her throat. “I…” She clears her throat again and glances at Waverly. “I,” she pauses. “Can’t,” Nicole reaches over with her right hand and takes Waverly’s free hand in hers. She presses it to her lips and gives it a quick kiss. “Help falling in love with you.” Nicole finishes in a whisper.

 

Waverly can’t stop the stinging that forms in her eyes. She blinks rapidly to keep any stray tears from falling. A small sigh escapes her and with it any hope of completing her plan. She snuggles closer to Nicole and buries her forehead into Nicole’s neck breathing her in as Nicole snakes an arm around Waverly and gently rubs her back.

 

Waverly resigns herself to not being able to plan anything about the rest of her journey back to Purgatory. She gives herself over to being in Nicole’s arms and sighs contentedly. She realizes this is exactly where she wants to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's pretty short and not much really happens, but more is on its way soon. thanks again for all the support!


End file.
